The Dark Citadel
by RiotDragon
Summary: Diasareth was born in Quel'thalas shortly before Arthas attacked and killed his family. Found and raised at Light's Hope Chapel, he must venture into Azeroth to find answers to questions he doesn't even know yet. R&R. Initial title, "The Paladin" was a placeholder until I came up with a better one. :]
1. Prologue

OoO( Prologue )OoO

Death reeked from the land all around. Trees stood tall, but not out of might. Their trunks were hollow and broken, the bark blackened from the plague that still tainted the air from the massacre that took place years before. This land was dead, in the most literal meaning of the word.

The elf stood staring out across the lifeless land that was once his home. He stepped forward, planting his foot in the blackened dirt. Looking at the ground through his luminescent blue eyes, he stood in the giant scar that ran completely through the now appropriately named 'Ghostlands'. Looking around more, he searched, as if expecting life to spring up somewhere and greet him. But, there wasn't a sound, or sight of anyone. Sighing to himself, he moved forward down the large wound towards the north.

"It's a miracle Silvermoon survived if this land suffered this badly." he said to himself, keeping his hand around the the handle of the large broadsword on his back. He jogged quickly through the lifeless scar, not wanting to spend any more time here than he had to. As he kept his swift pace, he looked around urgently to see if he could see any form of life. But this place seemed void of company.

He knew that if anyone looked in his direction, he'd immediately be spotted. A few of the trainers back at Light's Hope had given him the nickname 'Sparkles'. It was no direct insult to him, or anyone else they gave the name to. It was simply a nickname given to the apprentices who hadn't seen battle.

The elf looked down at his own glinting armor. The small amount of light in the dark land, consisting of mainly the moon and stars, shone off his armor like a beacon. Against the dull black and grey of the Ghostlands, he stuck out like an orc in Stormwind. He now understood the nickname. Anyone who had been through numerous battles would've had their armor roughed up enough not to reflect light.

His ears suddenly perked and he turned towards the woodland. His sensitive ears had picked up the shrieking from a ways off. Gritting his teeth, and tightening his grip on the sword, he ran through the dead woods towards the sound.

When he arrived, he was horrified at the scene. An elven woman lay unmoving beside a smashed cart, blood pooling underneath her. A male of the same race lay nearby, his hollow expression showing the departure of his spirit. Whatever creature had been pulling the cart was now long gone. Approaching it slowly, he drew his sword and held it at his side, both hands ready to strike if necessary. He slowly made his way to the cart and inspected it from afar.

Suddenly, his ears picked up another noise from the demolished wagon. "Somebody is...crying?" he asked as he hastened his way towards it. Grabbing the cloth that covered the cargo area of the cart, he yanked it off, exposing a small girl. Her hair was short and blonde, her eyes glowing green and tearstained. As soon as she realized she was discovered, she let out an earsplitting shriek.

The elf stabbed his sword in the ground quickly, then grabbed her, covering her mouth. She struggled in his arms, her eyes closed tightly as she began bawling.

"Quiet!" he said in a loud whisper. At hearing the voice, she squeaked and immediately shut up. Her eyes opened, scanning him up and down rapidly. "If I remove my hand, will you stay quiet?" he asked her silently. She slowly nodded. "Good." he said as he removed his hand and set her down on her feet.

She looked at him, her eyes still streaming with tears. "Who...who are you?" she asked scrubbing her soaked green eyes.

He looked around at the landscape as he answered her. "My name is Diasareth." he said, still keeping his voice below a whisper. Looking down at her, he asked, "How about you?"

"My name is..." she said, but was cut off as the cart exploded into wooden shards beside them. Dias grabbed her, shielding her from the debris, then looked at the perpetrator. Buried in the ground where the cart used to be was a giant metal hook, anchored to a monstrous behemoth by a thick metal chain.

Immediately, the paladin stood and drew his sword. The girl got to her feet at the sight of the creature and began sprinting through the woods away from them. Dias turned, "Wait!" he shouted before having to jump forwards to dodge another attack. Getting to his feet, he turned to the beast, its form giant and pale, its stomach seeminly sewn up for any number of reasons. "Damn you..." he said as the monster prepared to attack again.

OoOoO

The girl ran as tears streamed down her face faster. She ran until she couldn't run anymore, and finally fell over next to a tree. She leaned up against it and began breathing heavily. She sat there crying for what felt like forever to her.

Suddenly, her stomach lurched as a giant iron hook latched to the tree she was leaning against and ripped it from the ground. She turned and crawled backwards as she saw the behemoth standing there glaring at her as it tossed the tree aside. The creature reached down to grab her, making her close her eyes tightly and hope it ended quickly.

"Hey!" came a voice from the top of the hill. Both the creature and the girl looked up at the figure, in shining silver armor with long flowing white hair, his blue glowing eyes piercing them both. "Looking for this big guy?" he asked as he tossed something on the ground, making it roll towards the beast.

The creature stepped closer and looked at the object. It was the head of the other creature he had fought only minutes ago. Once the abomination had recognized it, it roared furiously. Charging up the hill, the beast seemed to be in a rage. "Watch out!" she shouted, but he stood stock still, his eyes glowing like torches. When the monster had reached the top, it was surprised when the paladin jumped forward.

Swinging the hook defensively, it sent the metal weapon smashing into the hillside. Dias ducked under the chain, dragging his blade across the metal surface until it reached the monsters arm. The sharp edge tore through the undead creatures skin like paper, severing the creatures weapon arm from its body entirely and sending it flying.

The abomination roared loudly and turned to the elf in a rage. It roared again, but regretted not attacking sooner. The holy warrior dove forward, slamming his blade into the monsters throat, his body weight forcing the blade down, carving the undeads chest cavity open, and spilling its innards all over the dead scar. Dias pulled his blade from the creature as it fell forward into its own entrails.

He swung the sword harshly, causing the blood to fly from the blade. Turning towards the little girl, he cringed. The hook from the monsters severed arm had struck her, harshly. Her ran over to her as she looked up at him, her eyes half closed as blood poured from her stomach wound. He leaned down and threw the large hook aside, then looked at her. She sat silently, crying as her life poured out of her.

Dias stroked her cheek gently, then placed a hand on the wound. "Hold still..." he said and closed his eyes. The girl gasped quietly as a shining light began to flood out of his hands. Almost instantly, her wounds sealed up as the light covered her entire form. As soon as it had appeared, the light vanished, and the paladin stood. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

She looked down and saw a hole in her tunic, but no blood anymore. Getting slowly to her feet, she managed to take a few steps toward him. He held his hand out to her and smiled. "Come on, let's get you to safety." he said as she grasped his hand gently.

"Synnaria." she said. He looked down at her curiously as they walked. Scrubbing her eyes with the back of her free hand, she said, "You asked my name. It's Synnaria." Dias smiled and ruffled her hair.


	2. The Orphan and the Slave

OoO( 1 )OoO

The land of Lordaeron used to be peaceful. It was all green and thriving land, seemingly a gift to those who had fought and won the wars against the Horde. But there was no peace on this day. Only destruction and pestilence could be seen for miles around since the death knight Arthas marched his Scourge armies to the north, carrying with him the body of Kel'Thuzad, and destroying everything in his path.

Lordaeron was now barren, a nearly uninhabitable shadow of its former self. The paladin looked over the land he once protected with anger. "Damn you Arthas..." he said to himself as he jumped down from his looking point on top of a tree stump. The paladin grasped the handle of the large sword at his side as he moved forward, slashing through the remains of the Scourge army that had marched through here only moments before.

Once the job was done, he looked to the north, wondering what Arthas intended to do with the High Elves that made Quel'Thalas their home. But there was no time for dwelling, he thought to himself. He had to warn someone of the approaching threat on their kingdom. Turning east, he began marching through the plaguelands towards the one place he knew couldn't be touched. As he marched, he slowed his pace as a sound suddenly hit his ears. The sound was similar to an injured animal, screaming its pain to the world.

The man slowly weaved through the trees, making sure not to make too much noise in case this were a trap. When he finally stumbled upon the scene, he had to look away for a moment. It was an elven child, only a year old at most, sitting on the ground crying. Next to him was an elven woman, her limbs bloody and the life gone from her eyes. The paladin walked forward and examined the situation. She was holding a sword clutched tightly in her right hand, her left was wrapped loosely around the child. And surrounding the two of them were countless dead Scourge, torn to pieces by fast blade work.

The man stepped forward over the torn carcasses and reached down, lifting the child out of his dead guardians arms. Setting the child down and wrapping it in his cloak, he moved back over to the woman, then started digging a grave with his hands.

OoOoO

As he approached the chapel, the paladin looked down at the child in his arms. It's glowing blue eyes were slowly drooping as sleep overcame it. He looked back up at the chapel, the only shining beacon left in the lands of Lordaeron.

"Man at the gates!" shouted someone from the tower of the building. The doors to the church opened and two men came out in gleaming white armor, both holding bows, notched and pulled back incase the intruder was hostile. But as soon as the torches around the grounds lit up the mans features, both of the sentinels dropped their stances and ran to him.

"Tirion! Where have you been? We thought the Scourge had finally claimed you!" asked one man.

The paladin looked at the man. "They may not have gotten me...but the same can't be said for this young one." he said as he held the child forward. The man removed the cover from the childs face and stared at him. "I found him out in the plaguelands, I assume next to his mother. She died fighting for his life, and ended up taking out a lot of Scourge with her." he finished.

The man stared at the child curiously. "He's high elven...from Quel'Thalas probably. But what were they doing down here?" asked the man.

Tirion shrugged. "No doubt a few heard about the attack and fled. They probably didn't make it far before running into Arthas' Scourge, but she seemed to know how to work a blade."

The man nodded. "Good for him." he said, then looked at Tirion curiously through his one good eye. "What would you have us do with him?" he asked.

The paladin thought for a moment before speaking. "Perhaps you could train him."

The man crossed his arms. "I haven't taken a student in ages Tirion. And I don't think now, with the Scourge turning his homeland to ash and dust, is the appropriate time to start training another youngling. We must take action! And now that you are here..." said the eyepatched man.

"I'm not staying." said the paladin, shocking the man into silence.

"But...Tirion..." said the man in a pleading tone.

"I'm afraid I can't Maxwell. This is something you must do without me for now." he said. "I still have business in the plaguelands. Only when I am finished will I return."

Though visibly distressed by the news, the man nodded. "Understood. We will go on without you." he said. Tirion handed the child over to the man, then turned as he donned his cloak again. "Tirion..." said the man. The paladin looked back at him. "God speed." he said.

The paladin smiled, then turned back towards the plaguelands, the formerly beautiful land that was his home.

OoOoO

Further north, in the elegant city of Silvermoon, a woman stood in a doorway, leaning against the fine wood of the large building. Her armor, thick plates of black and red, seemed to make her stand out against the gold and yellows of the bright city. She assumed this was because they were important, they had to stand out. However, her mind was elsewhere.

The armies of Arthas had broken through the protective spell around their precious land. Nobody knew why he was attacking, but he had shattered their runes and now marched through Quel'Thalas, slaughtering anything in his path.

A sound from behind alerted her and she turned, her Blood Knight armor gleaming in the sun. "Liadrin!" she said, relieved to finally see her.

The elven woman looked up at the visitor and smiled. "Aedammair, why are you here? I thought you went with the ranger squad." she said.

"We haven't left yet. We are going to the first gate to help Ranger-General Windrunner." said the dark haired blood knight.

Liadrin, the head of the Blood Knight order, nodded. "I saw that. You are going to face the enemy head on. That's very dangerous..." she said.

But the elf smirked. "Don't worry, you said yourself that I'm a god with my axes. I don't think a few undead will be too hard to handle." she stated confidently.

Liadrin pushed Aedammair against a wall forcefully, stunning her. "Don't fool around Aeda, you aren't just dealing with a few undead. He's a death knight, and a fully capable fighter. Not a mindless scourge." she said.

Aedammair smiled and pulled the woman close to her, hugging her tightly. "Don't worry love. I'm no fool." she said. "Once we've taken care of him, I'll be back here in time for our dinner."

Liadrin chuckled. "Good, I'll hold you to that." she said. "Now, I must go. King Anasterian requested that I be at his side." she said as she winked at her counterpart. "Now, go show that death knight what we Blood Knight's are made of." she finished, then rushed past Aedammair and down the road towards Sunstrider Spire.

OoOoO

Aedammair breathed heavily as she lay on the ground, the undead swarming around her. Her glowing blue eyes gazed around hazily as she looked at the rest of her squad, all of them wiped out by the wave of death that washed over their golden land. She coughed, feeling warm liquid start to flow from her mouth.

Rolling onto her back, she stared up into the sky where the sun was fading, leaving behind darkness. The Ranger-General had been slain, and her soul enslaved in the form of a banshee. Her squad was dead, the land was burning and dying around her. This was the end. A shadow loomed over her, and she looked up to see the face of the man who had been the cause of her suffering.

Arthas stood over her, staring into her fading eyes as his undead ran rampant around the area finishing anything that had survived the attack. His white hair blew across his face, though never breaking his gaze. Raising his fabled sword Frostmourne, he thrust it downward.

The elven woman rolled to the side and threw herself onto her feet. Using every ounce of energy she had left, she slammed her palm into the death knights face and began shouting as light flooded from her palm. "For my people, I give you my wrath death knight!" she shouted as glowing wings expanded from her back. Light covered her body as the skin on Arthas' face began to burn. The death knight reached up and grabbed her arm, only creating more burns on his hands as he tried to touch her. "Taste the suffering you have caused my people!" she shouted as more light began to flood out of her from, destroying any scourge unlucky enough to get close to her.

Arthas had dropped his blade from the shock of the light, and now struggled to grasp the sword again. Reaching down further, he finally got his hand on the blade of the weapon and thrust upwards. The light shattered, blowing the death knight backwards and destroying any scourge within a hundred feet. Aedammair fell to her knees again, the sword now lodged in her stomach. Falling sideways, she felt her life slip out of her.

Arthas approached her again, the scars on his face healing quickly. Grasping the handle of the sword, he pulled it free, and with it her soul. He looked at the blade and smirked. "You will serve the Lich King well." he said in his cold voice, then began his march again.

OoOoO

Quel'thalas was shattered that day. Arthas marched his armies up through the golden kingdom to the Sunwell, tainting the magical font and dooming an entire race to extinction. His genocide was heard around the world of Azeroth, warning all of the terrible price to be paid for those who opposed the Lich King.


	3. The Strength of Youth

OoO( 2 )OoO

_Years later..._

Dias raised his axe above his head, locking his eyes on his target before bringing the heavy instrument down. Shouting a battle cry, he swung with all his might, cleaving through it like paper, ending the struggle with a loud thud as the axe embedded into the wood of a tree stump. He stretched his back and smiled at his handiwork, a symetrical pyramid of wood stacked almost as high as himself.

"Well, aren't you the hard worker." said a feminine voice behind him. He turned and smiled at the woman.

"Oh, hello Fiona. I didn't know you were coming today." he said, his excitement growing. He knew that when Fiona arrived, he was in for a fun day. She was always kind enough to bring him sweets from all over the Eastern Kingdoms. As well, as a few travellers who were bound to have amazing tales of heroism for his imagination to devour.

"Good. I like it that way." said the worgen woman with a smile. Her furry features were gentle, not those of most worgen who were battle hardened and stone-like. She wore only common clothes with a hooded cloak incase of bad weather. She winked at him. "If nobody knows when I'm coming, they can't say I'm late." she said.

He chuckled as he buried the axe in the stump again, then ran up to her. "So, did you bring me anything this time?" he asked excitedly.

She ruffled his hair amused. "Such a greedy young one you are." she said, causing him to look at the ground apologetically. "Don't worry, I've got something for you right here." she finished as she began reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a long leather loop with a charm hanging from the bottom. She lowered the trinket into his hand, allowing him to gaze at it in amazement.

The charm was a small silver shield, the leather loop meant to go around his neck. He lifted it up and put it on, the shield resting gently below his collar bone.

"That is a pendant given to those who protect the innocent." said the worgen woman as she knelt down to his height. "One day you will grow into a fine warrior Dias. Be sure when you have the power to help people, you do so with a pure heart." she said with a smile as he gazed down at the treasure.

He looked up at her with a confident smile and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, I will." he said joyfully. She chuckled and patted the boys head.

"Alright now young one, I have to get back to my cart. You carry on with your chores before Master Maxwell finds you." she said.

He let go and flexed extravigantly. "Already done!" he said proudly, then gave her a pleading look. "Can you show me who you brought along with you this time? Do they have stories?" he asked excitedly.

"Alright alright. Come with me." she said waving him to her.

OoOoO

The young elven boy sat and listened as a red haired dwarf roared out a story between mugs of ale. His story was similar to the one he told the last time he was here, something about fighting off five dragons with only his hammer and his wit to help him. Last time it was three dragons. But he loved hearing the story regardless.

As he sat listening to the tale again, his gaze shifted over to something moving in the distance. He turned his head and looked over to see a large creature with fur of black and white doing some kind of dance. Getting to his feet, he wandered over and watched from behind a tree that stood in the courtyard of the chapel. The large creature seemed to move as if he were made of flowing water, his flexibility and agility almost unrealistic for his size.

In front of the large dancer was a large stone slab set up on two chunks of log. The wind started to ruffle the elves white hair as he watched the creature, when he was suddenly startled by a sudden outburst. The creature said something in a foreign tongue that seemed to shake the air as it exited his maw. Suddenly, it brought a fist crashing down onto the stone slab.

Dias stood there watching, expecting something to happen. But nothing occured. The stone hadn't moved an inch, and the creature brought its large fist back up, forming a sort of meditative stance. Then, it left. It picked its straw hat up from the resting spot on the tree and walked away.

Once the large beast was gone, Dias walked over to the stone and examined it. A brief sound caught his ear, like dust hitting the ground. Kneeling down, he saw dust pouring from the bottom of the slab. Then he jumped back in surprise as the stone seemed to turn to powder in front of his eyes.

OoOoO

Totoro was a panderan brewmaster. He wandered all over Azeroth, brewing up amazing new concoctions and selling them to the drunken roaring masses to support his travels. He had yet to explore this far north due to the plague warnings given to him by the good people of Stormwind. However, such things had never concerned him.

He strode up to the tree in the courtyard of the chapel, taking the gourd from his side and popping out the cork before taking a long draft of the fiery liquid inside. Sitting down against the tree, he pulled out a small wooden pipe and created a small burning ember with his fingertips, pushing it into the open mouth of the instrument. The leafy substance inside lit, allowing him to puff on it and relax his muscles.

He sat puffing on his pipe, drinking more of his brew for a bit. After a while, his large round ears twitched as they picked up the sounds of grunting. His curiosity got the better of him and he stood to search for the maker of the sound. It wasn't long before he came across a young elf boy standing where he had stood earlier that day. Another slab of stone was laid across the two logs, and the boy was smashing his hand against it over and over.

Totoro gave a feral smile as he watched the failed attempt. "You aren't ready for that yet." he said. Dias gasped in horror and fell backwards. The large pandaren walked towards him and stood next to the small shrine-like training stand he had set up earlier in the day. "It takes a long time to master the kind of control it takes to break stone."

Dias stood to his feet, holding his bruised hand tenderly. "How do you master something like that?" he asked curiously as his heart rate slowed from the shock of someone else being awake.

The large creature smiled and held up one finger. "You must master yourself before you can start to change things around you." he said, then struck down on the stone with the tip of his finger. The slab immediately split in half and hit the ground heavily, amazing the boy. "You are young. You won't likely learn that lesson until you are older." said the hefty creature.

Dias smiled. "Really? Can you teach me?"

The pandaren took another puff off his pipe and shook his head. "I won't be here long enough to teach you what you want to know." he said. Dias immediately looked at the ground, his expression disheartened. "However, I am here for a week. I will teach you what I can." he commented, making the boys features light up again. "But after I leave, you must continue to practice what I teach you. For without the will, any skill is useless." he finished, getting a nod from the young elf. "Good, now let's begin."

OoOoO

Weeks after Fiona had left the chapel with the monk, Dias stood at the well, pulling up a bucket of water and tethering it to a long shaft of wood. Lifting the weight of the two large buckets onto his shoulders, he balanced the stave before moving forward towards the building he had grown to call home. Walking behind him, watching him closely was blood elf paladin from Maxwell's band, stationed at Light's Hope to help protect against the looming threat of the Ebon Hold across the mountains.

"Be careful not to spill any." said the man as he watched the boy complete his chores.

Dias snorted and glared at him. "Why don't you have to do chores Gelregg?" he asked indignantly.

The man smiled. "Because, I'm older than you." he said, making the boy growl. He chuckled before saying, "Besides, I'm not the one who slept in late today." finished the man. Dias grumbled as he carried the buckets next to the chapel and set them down. Stretching his aching back, he sat down on the stairs. "Good work. Now, it's time for your training." said the man.

The elf boy looked up at him oddly. "So soon?" he asked.

The man nodded. "Since the Lich King has created a fortress in the mountains, your training has to be sped up." he said. Dias nodded and stood. Taking his sword, a blade dulled down enough so that it wouldn't cut through wood, let alone armor, and took up a stance. The paladin cocked an eyebrow at the boys posture. "Who taught you to stand like that?" he asked.

Dias smiled. "I did." he said.

Smirking, the paladin shrugged. "Alright, your funeral." he said as he prepared his blade. Dias immediately lunged forward, aiming for the older elves midsection. Gelregg switfly side-stepped the attack and brought his sword downwards, intending to strike the boy across his back. However, the boy had shifted flawlessly and swung his blade up defensively, deflecting the blow before using his momentum to swing the dull sword across the paladins center mass.

Gelregg immediately threw himself backwards to dodge the blade, but heard a small _ping! _as the tip nicked his stomach plate. After the swing, the boy shifted again, this time with the sword at his side, the tip scraping the ground. The blood elf looked at him with surprise, scratching his head as he tried to figure out what had happened.

"What in Lorthemar's name was that?" he asked as he raised his sword again. This time, he kept his eye on the boys movements. Dias began to side step slowly as he watched his teacher. The paladin moved forward quickly, jabbing at the trainee with the dull tip of the sword. Dias managed to turn his body enough to avoid the attacks, but was forced further and further back by the relentless attack until he was against the wall of the chapel. Gelregg spun quickly, slashing diagonally.

Dias brought his sword up in time, blocking the attack. But was knocked sideways from the force of the blow. The older man brought the flat of his blade down quickly across the boys hand, making him shout in pain and drop his own weapon. The paladin smirked as he pointed the practice sword at the young ones throat. "Game over Dias." he said, his glowing green eyes staring into the boys. However, he was surprised again as Dias placed his flat palm on one side of the sword blade and thrust his fist into the middle of the other side. The blow made a loud _crack! _as half the blade flew off and thudded against the ground.

Gelregg looked at the stray blade, then at the remainder in his hand. "Interesting technique." he said staring with a smile at his half weapon. "But try that on any real blade and you'll wind up with more than just that." he said, pointing with his broken sword at the boys bloody and bruised knuckles. "Come on now. You've earned your dinner." he said, offering his hand to the young elf. Dias smiled and took his hand, pulling himself up before walking with the man. "First things first, let's get you to sister Lara and get your hand fixed. Maxwell will have my head if he sees that undressed." Dias chuckled as they walked together towards the chapel.


	4. The Battle for Light's Hope

OoO( 4 )OoO

_Years later..._

She laid with her arms and legs drawn close. Her entire being was cold, unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. No matter where she looked, there was emptiness, a void blacker than the pits of hell. She couldn't move, she couldn't breath. All she could do was sit and suffer, her mind fed visions of the man who had destroyed her. She hated him more and more every moment she lay there. But she knew she couldn't kill him. Not anymore. So she lie, day after day for what seemed an eternity.

OoOoO

"We have the body my lord." said a cold, echoing voice in the chamber. The man, a human, knelt down before a giant figure. He kept his eyes to the ground, not daring to look up at his master.

"Good." was all the deep, commanding voice had to say. The figure stood, his towering form and black armor enough to send the courage fleeing from any normal man. Walking forward, the armored figure stared at the body on the ground. Taking his sword, he thrust it down into the corpses stomach where he had previously killed the warrior. Immediately, her eyes and mouth shot open shooting light from them both as her tormented soul was forced back into her being. A purple light surrounded her as she rose from the ground, her form rigid.

Finally, she fell to the ground, landing cleanly on her feet in a kneeling position. Standing up straight, her formerly blue glowing eyes were now white and hollow of the life it had once held. She had no clothing on, but didn't seem in the least bit distraught about the lack of modesty. She stood staring at her master, the only one she served. "I am yours to command my king." she said as she lowered her head.

The towering figure raised his hand and lifted her chin up to look at him. "You will be my machine of destruction." he said in his hollow voice. "Go forth and conquer. Go forth and die..."

OoOoO

Diasareth had woken that morning to the feeling of chills down his spine. He hadn't awoken many times to the feeling, but when he did he knew something was going to happen. Immediately after getting up, he grabbed his sword and headed out of the chapel, his hand on the hilt at all times.

As he stepped out into the light, he noticed Maxwell Tyrosus standing there at the top of the chapel stairs. Standing next to him, he looked up into the sky. "It's about to rain..." he said.

The older paladin kept his good eye forward. "You feel it too?" he asked.

Dias, now muscular and tall, nodded. "As soon as I woke." he said.

"Something is going to happen today. Something bad."

"What do we do?" asked the high elf, clenching his sword handle tighter.

"The only thing we can do my boy. We will protect this place with our lives." he said as he turned to the young paladin. He placed his hand on Dias' shoulder and smiled. "You've grown a lot since you were brought here by Tirion. I'm proud to call you my brother Dias." said the older man. The high elf smiled at the human and nodded.

"No matter what comes to us this day, we will conquer it together brother." said Dias. "Now, let's not welcome them in these clothes. We should prepare."

Maxwell chuckled. "Prepare indeed." he said.

OoOoO

The day had grown darker since the morning. The clouds covered the sky, sending rain and lightning to the earth below. A group of men stood at the gates of Light's Hope Chapel, staring down the death bringers across the plain.

Darian Mograine sat on his dread mount, his glowing white eyes glaring at the opposition at the gates. Turning his charger around, he faced the undead army behind him. "Soldiers of the Scourge! Death knights of Acherus! Minions of the darkness! Hear the call of the Highlord!" he shouted in a deadly voice. "The skies turn red with the blood of the fallen. The Lich King watches over us, minions! Leave only ashes and misery in your destructive wake!" he shouted, lifting the legendary sword Ashbringer into the sky. "Rise!"

The ground suddenly began to tremble violently as undead forces crawled from the ground. Monstrosities larger than the trees themselves tore the earth open and clawed themselves out of the ground, forming up around the Highlord as he continued to shout his tirade.

"Death knights of Acherus, the death march begins!" he shouted as his steed turned back around to face the small gathering of warriors at the chapel. "Kill them all!" he finished, getting a horrific roar from the crowd of undead as they charged headlong at the group of defenders.

"This is it Dias. Remember what we've taught you." said Gelregg as he held his hands at his side, light shining from them both.

Suddenly, Lord Tyrosus roared. "Stand fast brothers and sisters! The Light will prevail!" he yelled. All of the defenders errupted in a battle shout, and the charge began.

Both armies clashed with enough force to shake the ground. Dias swung his large sword with both hands, cleaving through the undead forces like they were paper. Maxwell charged straight for Darion and blasted him off his mount, destroying the animal in the process. The paladin raised his large sword high and swung down at Darion's prone figure. But the Highlord blocked the strike with Ashbringer.

The female death knight charged forward into the fray with her axes in hand. When she was close enough, she planted a foot on her steeds saddle and flipped into the air. An older human paladin who had just destroyed one of the monstrous abominations only had time to look up before both of the females axes cleaved through his armor and silenced him permanently. Turning to the others, she dashed forward and began to rain death upon the defenders.

Dias had encountered another death knight, this one human. The black warrior ran at him and swung a massive hammer. Dias dove out of the way just in time as the hammer created a large crater where it had hit the ground. Getting back to his feet, the paladin squared off with the human. Almost immediately, the death knight ripped his hammer from the ground and charged Dias again. The death knight swung the huge weapon horizontilly, but the blood elf gracefully ducked under the attack, thrusting his sword forward and into the doom bringers chest.

Just as he finished his foe, one of the towering undead was on him. It raised its huge foot and smashed it down on the spot where the paladin had been moments before. The high elf had rolled out of the way of the impact just before hitting. Dashing at the back of the creatures tree trunk sized leg, he jumped and thrust his sword into its hind quarters, making it roar loudly. Using his momentum, he reached up and grabbed the tattered rope that the giant wore around its waist.

He pulled the sword free once he was secure and began to swing himself again. Once he reached a peak, he thrust the blade in once more, causing another loud shriek. He climbed the back of the creature who the entire time tried reaching behind it to get at the menacing pest. However, the paladin stayed out of its reach until he reached the top of its back. With all his might, he raised his sword and sunk it into the creatures spine underneath the skull. The abomination let out a deafening roar as the holy warrior twisted his blade and severed the spine. Then, jerking the sword out in a slashing motion, he braced himself as the towering monster began to fall.

It crashed to the ground, causing a shockwave to ripple through the battle field as its head rolled off down the hill. Dias had just jumped off its hunched back and was immediately received a blow to his back that felt like he had been struck by a cannonball. He flew forward and landed on his back, his sword now farther than his reach as the death knight he had slain before stood over him. He coughed roughly as he caught his breath again.

The death knight raised its massive hammer again to finish the high elf off. Dias' thoughts immediately went to Maxwells training. He shouted loudly as he thrust his hand forward into the dark warriors stomach. "May the light purify the evil in you!" he shouted as his hand glowed with the exorcism spell. Lord Tyrosus had warned him that this spell was to be used sparingly. It captured all the evil in the victims spirit and caused it to flee from the light, usually exiting the body in a violent and explosive manner. It should never be used lightly, and could take the smallest amount of evil in someone and utterly destroy them.

Now seemed like a good time to use it though. Dias lifted the stunned death knight into the air as light flooded from his hand. The Light burned through the humans body and casting beams out of his eyes and mouth. The mans skin began to burn as the light flooded inside him, then he suddenly exploded into a shower of black dust. The high elf stumbled back and coughed violently, waving the plague out of his face.

He heard a shout nearby and watched as a night elf druid had been surrounded by scourge and was about the be struck down by another death knight. Dashing forward, he dove on the death knight, sending them tumbling along the ground. When they stopped, Dias had the orc knights head clasped firmly in his gauntleted hands. The dark warrior shouted loudly, but was silenced as the paladin twisted sharply, snapping the undeads neck with a horrifying crunch. He got up and turned back to the druid just to see roots from the ground wrapping around the Scourge and crushing them with amazing force. The night elf looked at him and smiled after the swarm was destroyed and bowed to him. "Thank you." she said sweetly.

He nodded and grabbed his sword from the ground, going back to the Scourge knight and severing the head from his body to make sure he wouldn't come back.

Darion clashed with Maxwell once again. They fought endlessly like two titans in the center of the battlefield. Though Maxwell was a very well trained and experienced paladin, he began to faulter against the endless stamina of the undead human. He took a slash across his arm and fell to one knee. Suddenly a blast of holy energy hit Darian in the chest and sent him tumbling backwards. Light enveloped the holy warrior, sealing his wounded arm and filling him with energy. He grabbed his sword and stood again to see Gelregg at his side. "Why did yu interfere?" asked Maxwell.

The blood elf just smirked and said, "Because I'm older than you." then turned and scrambled to help heal others that had fallen in battle. Maxwell laughed and turned back to Mograine, who was standing in front of him once more.

Dias had taken out two more death knights and hundreds more Scourge when the high elven Scourge had locked onto him. She dashed forward and swung both axes at him, attempting to finish him quickly. But he drew his sword up and both axes stopped as they bit into the blade. She pulled back and spun, swinging again, but he ducked underneath the weapons, bringing his blade up and impaling it into her chest.

She stumbled back a moment with the weapon buried in her body, the paladin watching as his breathing grew heavier with every second of exertion. She smirked and pulled the blade from her body, then swung her free axe and smashed through the metal, sending shards of it scattering all over the ground. He looked on in horror as she threw his shattered weapon to the ground and prepared hers again.

Suddenly, her attention was grabbed by a shout from the center of the battlefield. "What is happening to me!? Minions! Come to my aid!" shouted the hollow voice of the Highlord Commander. Immediately the elven death knight broke off the battle with him and dashed towards the Highlord. Dias gave chase, picking up the sword of one of his fallen brethren as he ran.

Maxwell raised his sword to strike again and finish Commander Mograine, but he was surprised when a pair of axes blocked his sword from finishing the deed. Growling in anger, Maxwell thrust his foot at her. The kick knocked her back, but she retaliated by swinging one of her axes and burying it in the paladins leg. He shouted in pain and fury as he limped backwards.

Suddenly, the battle stopped as a voice shook the battlefield like a sonic boom. "You cannot win Darion! Bring them before the chapel!" sounded the voice. Lord Tyrosus pulled the axe from his leg, healing it and suffering the pain as he stood again. He walked forward, grabbing the death knight commander by the throat and dragging him towards the chapel.

The female charged Tyrosus again, only to be hurled backwards as she was tackled by the young elven paladin. She swung an axe and sent the sword in his hand flying, then kicked him off of her. She jumped up with amazing athleticism and swung her weapons to finish the stumbling paladin, but her weapons crashed against an invisible shield. Dias let out a burst of light, blinding the woman and making her stumble backwards.

Darion could hardly move as he was dragged before the building. "What is this treachery?" he asked, gasping as the energy seemed to drain from his body. Suddenly, the paladin threw him and he landed on his knees before the man who had shouted. Looking up, his expression changed to horrified anger as he saw Tirion Fordring glaring at him. "Stand down death knights. We've lost...The Light...this place...we have no hope of winning."

Tirion stepped forward. "Have you learned nothing boy? You have become all that your father fought against!" he shouted. "Like that coward Arthas, you have allowed yourself to be consumed by the darkness, the hate..."

At hearing the paladins voice, Dias turned around and saw him. He stood tall, larger than any man in the battle field. His hair and mustache were grey, but his armor glowed with the power of the Light. He knew who he was. Both the young paladin and the axe-wielding death knight stared at the interaction.

"Feeding upon the misery of those you tortured and killed! Your master knows what lies beneath the chapel. That is why he dares not show his face! He's sent you and your death knights to meet their doom, Darion!"

Darion growled. "And what is this great power that the Lich King fears?" he asked angrily.

Tirion looked at the ground. "What you are feeling right now. It is the anguish of a thousand lost souls that you and your master brought here! The Light will tear you apart Darion!" he shouted pointing at the Highlord.

"Save your breath old man. It might be the last you ever draw." threatened Mograine as he weakly stood to his feet. Suddenly, Darion was blinded by a shining light, making him take a step back. "What is this!?"

As he stared into the light, the ghostly form of Alexandros Mograine walked out and looked at him. The death knight fell to his knees at the vision. "My son..."

"Father!" shouted Darion. "What are you doing here!?"

His father looked at him, his ghostly form fragile. "I am here to save you my son. You have given yourself over to the darkness. You must let go of your hatred and grief!"

Highlord Mograine held his head in pain. "But...I can't..."

"You must let it go Darion! You are my son, the one who was to follow me and use Ashbringer to mete out justice across the land! You have the power to fight the darkness in you!" shouted the man. "You must let it all go."

Darion shouted loudly as the pain of breaking through the control shocked his system. He breathed heavily, looking at the ground before slowly standing to his feet. "Father..." he said weakly.

Alexandros smiled proudly at Darion. "Good my son. You are free now..." he said. Suddenly, A bright glow appeared on the battlefield. "I must go now Darion. I will always love you my son." he said as the tall dark armored figure of the Lich King stepped out of the gateway. The dark king thrust his blade forward, pulling the soul of Alexandros into it.

"FATHER!" shouted Highlord Mograine as he watched his fathers soul vanish into the sword.

"Touching. But he is mine now." said the deep, hollow voice of the prince of darkness.

Darion glared at the Lich King with hatred. "You...betrayed me. You betrayed us all monster! Face the might of Mograine!" he shouted as he jumped forward with amazing speed. He slashed at the dark king with Ashbringer, but his attack didn't even come close. Arthas slashed his own sword, the power hitting the Highlord in mid air and sending him crashing back to the ground.

"Pathetic fool..." he mused as he pointed Frostmourne at the death knight.

"You're a damned monster Arthas." said Tirion as he stepped forward.

"You were right Fordring, I did send them in to die. Their lives are meaningless. But yours..." he said, now aiming the sword at the paladin. The Silver Hand knights that had come with Tirion prepared to attack. "How simple it was to draw the great Tirion Fordring out of hiding. You left yourself exposed, paladin. Nothing will save you now!" shouted the Lich King as he shot dark energy at the man. It hit Tirion, who fell to his knees.

Maxwell raised his sword and shouted "Attack!", causing the entire force of Argent Dawn and Silver Hand warriors to attack. They all ran forward, including Dias, who had gone into a blood rage at seeing the Lich King. As soon as they all attacked, they were blasted backwards by dark energy.

"Apocalypse!" shouted the dark king in a loud voice, the dark energy lashing at the fighters. The distraction freed Tirion however, who stood again.

Mograine growled at his powerlessness, then looked over at Tirion standing up again. Looking down at his sword, the Ashbringer, he turned and shouted. "Tirion!" he yelled as he hurled his sword towards the paladin. Tirion looked over and saw the blade, then reached up and caught it in his hand. He forced the power of the Light into the sword, cleansing it of darkness and purifying it once more, making it glow brightly with holy power. Afterwards, Darion fell to the ground nearly unconscious.

Holding up the newly purified sword, the paladin shouted. "ARTHAS!"

"What is this!?" asked the Lich King in anger.

"Your end!" shouted Tirion as he dashed forward. He moved switfly and swung the massive blade, slashing across Arthas' chest and bringing him to his knees.

"I-Impossible..." he said gasping. "This is not over! Wen next we meet, it won't be on holy ground paladin!" said the dark king as he created a dark gateway and backed into it.

The death knights still alive in the battlefield all gathered around Mograine. Tirion walked over to the fallen Highlord and placed his hand on him, causing holy light to cover his body. Soon after, Darion stood, looking himself over. All his injuries were healed.

"Rise Darion, and listen. We have all been witness to a terrible tragedy. THe blood of good men has been shed upon this soil. Honorable knights, slaind defending their lives...our lives. And while such things can never be forgotten, we must remain vigilant in our cause. The Lich King must answer for what he has done, and must not be allowed to cause further destruction in our world." he said, then turned to Dias and the other defenders. "I make a promise to you now brothers and sisters: the Lich King will be defeated! On tis day, I call for a union! The Argent Dawn and the Order of the Silver Hand will come together as one! We will succeed where so many before us have failed! We will take the fight to Arthas, and we will tear down the walls of Icecrown!" he shouted raising his sword into the air and getting a cheer from all the knights and warriors from both groups. "The Argent Crusade comes for you Arthas!" he finished with a roaring shout.

Darion stood, still slightly weakened from the blow he suffered from the Lich King. "So too do the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Although our kind has no place in your world, we will fight to bring an end to the Lich King. This I vow." said the Highlord as he clenched his fists. "Death knights! To Ebon Hold! We have a mess to clean up..." he said as he formed a dark gateway in front of him.

Dias and the female death knight looked at each other for a moment, before the Scourge warrior walked towards the gateway to follow her master through. The paladin turned back to Maxwell, who patted him on the back roughly. "Good to see you're still standing my boy!" he shouted happily.

Dias cringed, every sore muscle in his body screaming in pain at the action. "Th-Thanks..." he said as he looked over the battlefield. Many had died in the battle against the Scourge, many had sacrificed their lives to save many. He would never forget them as long as he lived.


	5. Leaving Home

OoO( 4 )OoO

Darion Mograine stood on the balcony of the Ebon Hold, watching the dark tower and listening to the worried rabble inside. His death knight army was only a handful of what it had been. However, they were still machines of destruction in battle. His army would be more than enough to handle the loyalists left inside.

Turning to the death knights, he spoke. "No longer do we take orders from that coward Arthas. We obey our own orders now. But, before we can join the fight to take down the man who did this to us, we must make a home for ourself. We must go now, and destroy any and all still loyal to the Lich King, starting here and now." he said turning back to the building. As he walked inside, his death knights followed him.

A giant abomination known as Patchwerk stood in the center of the large floating fortress, his chain flying and smashing creatures that scurried around. "You no disobey!" shouted the monstrosity. Darion stopped at the top of the stairs of the building.

"All who would follow me into war against the Lich King, lay down your arms, and you shall not be harmed!" he said, his voice seeming to shake the walls of the fortress. Patchwerk turned to the Highlord and glared.

"You traitor! You die!" shouted the abomination as it swung its chain at the human. Darion swatted the metal flail away with a flick of his wrist, causing it to smash through a ghoul that was unlucky enough to be standing nearby. Patchwerk was stunned at the ease of the deflection and took a step back.

"So be it." said the Highlord as he pointed at the monster. "Eradicate them!" said the Highlord, and almost as soon as he had finished saying it, the death knights flew like shadows into the chamber, destroying anything that resisted.

The high elven death knight flew forward with her axes aiming straight for the giant monster. She jumped into the air as it swung the chain again, her blades swinging like whirlwinds. She brought her weapons down onto the monsters hand, severing it clean from its body. Landing again, she walked slowly up to the cowering creature with a smile.

Patchwerk stumbled backwards as he cradled his stump of an arm. The death knight pointed at him and a shadowy arm shot forward like lightning, grabbing onto his head. She jerked her arm back and the dark appendage ripped the abominations head clean off its shoulders, sending it flying against a wall with a sickening thud. The giant creature fell backwards as the rest of the group gathered after their own exterminations.

Turning back to the Highlord, they waited for him to speak. "No longer are we bound by the chains of slavery. Starting today, we will undo that which made us. We will hunt that coward down to the very pits of Icecrown and remove him from this world with our bare hands." he said turning to the two death knights that stood at the top of the balcony. "Fordring has agreed that we are to be allowed back into the cities that shunned us. Go to your homes, learn who you were, and maybe we can once again be a part of this world." he said.

Koltira Deathweaver stood staring at the crowd. "Those who wish to go to the home cities of the Horde, please come with me. And for Alliance, follow Thassarian." he said as he turned and walked to the edge of the balcony where a portal awaited them.

The high elven woman stared at them nervously. She hadn't remembered who she was, or where she had come from, even after the mind grip of the Lich King had faded from her. She could only hope that someone would recognize her back in her home city.

OoOoO

Dias attended the ceremony of the fallen for those who had died at the doorstep of Light's Hope. He stood next to Gelregg at the graveyard, both of their heads bowed as a priest from the Silver Hand bid the dead an easy passing into the afterlife.

As the ceremony ended, the paladin walked back to the spot where he had met Totoro and sat underneath the newly blooming tree. Crossing his legs, he sighed and looked at the ground, his mind running mad with questions and thoughts. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice Lord Tyrosus walk up and lean against the tree in front of him.

"Quiet down." said the elder as he looked at Dias through his good eye. Dias looked up surprised at the knights appearance. "If you think any louder you'll shake the walls of the chapel." he said, making the high elf chuckle.

"Sorry..." he said as he leaned back against the tree.

"You want to leave here don't you?" asked the eye patched man. When he got a surprised look from the elf, he smirked. "Can't get one past me my boy. I know what you must be feeling right now."

Dias sighed and looked at the ground. "The Lich King was right in front of me, and I couldn't even scratch him." said the crestfallen paladin.

Maxwell walked over and sat next to him. "Neither could I, and I've been in more battles than even Gelregg in all his years." said the knight.

"I just think..."

"You think that you don't want to sit here and wait for the battle to go to him. You want to go out and learn through experience what it means to be a paladin, then take the fight to Arthas." said the man. Dias nodded. "Well, the choice is yours. And it wouldn't be the wrong choice." said the human as he smiled at Dias. "But, if you're going, then you have to be properly geared. So meet me at the smith in an hour."

"But, where will I go? I don't even know where to start." said Dias as he stood as well.

Maxwell turned to him and shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure. But my advice would be to start with your own people. The elves up north have pulled together again enough so that they can help in the fight. Perhaps you should go to them and see if they can help you." he said, then turned back and started walking away. "Remember, one hour."

Dias watched him go, then thought to himself. "This is the right decision. I won't learn anything by sitting here in peace." he said as he started to walk towards the chapel.

OoOoO

The elven paladin had arrived at the smithy a few minutes early. The dwarven blacksmith let him in and shut the door behind him, leaving only the fire from the hearth to light the small room. The elf turned and looked at the smith questioningly. "I was told by Maxwell to meet him here..." he said, but the dwarf cut him off.

"Ach, he'll be here any minute. Calm yourself." said the short fiery haired dwarf. Dias took a seat in one of the small chairs in the corner, but ended up stairing at the ceiling as his weight crushed the legs of the furniture. "Ah! Look what you've done!" shouted the smith as he ran and picked up the one of the pieces.

"Sorry, I didn't realize...Ow!" he shouted as the dwarf knocked him across the head with the wooden leg.

"Sorry? Those were meant for dwarves ya buffoon!" he said taking another swing at him. But before he could get another shot in, Maxwell opened the door and entered, stopping a moment to stare at the comical scene.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

"No!" shouted Dias.

"Yes!" yelled the dwarf as he turned to Dias again.

The paladin chuckled and closed the door behind him. "Calm down Wilhelm. I'm sure the chair will live to see another day." he said as he pulled the leg from the dwarves hand. "Now then, you know why we're here."

The dwarf snorted and walked over to a small wooden box. "Aye, I know why you're here." he said as he flipped the lid open, then kicked the box over to the two. "Come to take some of my finest work, and why not break a bit 'o furniture while you're at it?" he grumbled, walking over to the wall and examining the weapons on them.

Maxwell knelt down and lifted the first item from the box, handing it to the younger paladin. "These are now yours." he said.

Dias' eyes went wide as he admired the shining breastplate in the fire light. It was silver in color and had the Argent Dawn symbol imblazoned in the center of it. "You had this made for me?" he asked surprisedly. Maxwell nodded. "But, how did you know I would be leaving?" he asked curiously, unfastening the worn plate that he had normally worn.

"I didn't. I had this made for the day we declared you into a fully trained paladin. Seems the day has come sooner than I thought." said the human as he smiled at the look the elf gave him. Dias buckled the armor onto himself, digging the rest out and doing the same with it. The last item in the box was a white cloak with black trim around the edges of it. Again, the Argent Dawn symbol dominated the center. Twirling it around himself, he fastened the clasp to his new shoulders.

"Don't forget about this." said Wilhelm as he approached with a new sword, the handle large and wrapped with leather dyed white, and the blade with carvings up the sides of the metal resembling lightning. The elf took the sword and admired it, grasping the heavy weapon firmly in both hands.

"This is amazing..." said the elf as he watched reflections from the fire skitter across the shining sword.

Wilhelm snorted again and turned around, trying to hide a smile. "You bet yur beard it's good. Took me months to make that blasted thing, so don't go losing it." he said, then went back to his table where a mug of beer awaited him.

"There is one more thing." said Maxwell as he took out a small silver and golden bracelet. The center had two crossed swords, both with lightning coursing the blades and a shield behind them. It looked like some of the seals he had seen on the travellers that passed through.

"What is this?" he asked curiously.

"This was found with you in the plaguelands. It's a family crest." said the man as he took the trinket and turned it upside down. "A few times, I had to travel up to Silvermoon on business. I learned from them that this was the seal of the family known as Stormblade. I didn't get much more information about them, but it was pretty clear that they were important." he said handing it to the young elf. "This one, I was saving for the day you left."

Dias took it and examined it, noticing his name seem to light up on it as he touched it. "I see...so the lightning on my sword..."

Maxwell nodded. "Now then. We'll get you supplies enough to get you to Silvermoon, and maybe a few days afterwards. But after that, you've gotta find your own way." said the man. Dias smirked and nodded.

"Don't worry, it won't be long before you hear tales about me." said the young paladin, making both the dwarf and the human laugh.

"That's the spirit. Now let's get you supplied."


	6. Silvermoon City

OoO( 6 )OoO

Silvermoon, despite all the devestation beset upon the city in the past, was glowing and thriving. Half of the city itself had been destroyed by the campain of the death knight king himself. However, the remaining half now stood like a beacon of gold and red in Eversong Forest.

The high elf paladin walked through the streets, his eyes scanning everything, taking in the glorious glowing city of his people. The girl next to him, her hand clasping his as they walked the stone laid streets, looked around in amazement as well.

"Have you ever been here before?" he asked the young girl. She shook her head.

"My family lived in Eversong, at a village called Fairbreeze. I've never been to the actual city before..." she said, gasping as she saw a large bull like creature walk past them wearing robes. "What was that thing?" she asked amazed.

"He's a tauren." he said, chuckling. "They live mostly in Kalimdor, so you don't see many on this side of the world." He had met a great many people, and learned even more from the travellers that had stopped at the Chapel during his childhood. "There are a lot of races in the world outside of ours." he said smiling as he remembered the oddest he had seen, the Pandaren.

Together they walked until finally Dias realized that he really had no clue where he was going, or what he was going to do with the the girl. He knew she couldn't come with him at her age. She was far too young for combat, and certainly it wouldn't be wise to have her put in danger with whatever he was sure to encounter. He scratched his head, trying to come up with some form of plan.

As he was thinking, his eyes scanned the area. A sign outside a nearby building stopped him in his tracks.

_"Silvermoon Embassy"_

Turning, he began to walk into the building, the girl obediently following him. The woman sitting at the table in the entrance immediately spoke as they entered.

"Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, her glowing green eyes scanning the young paladin, especially the weapon strapped to his back.

"I...I need information on my family." he said as he walked up to the table. The woman looked at the girl holding his hand, then back at him and chuckled, nodding. He looked down at Synnaria, then back at the woman. "What?" he asked curiously.

"Just found it amusing. A full grown man in shining armor holding hands with a young girl in tattered clothing, and the man asks about _his_ family." she said as she sat up straight and gave him her most mock serious smile. "Now then, what's the name?" she asked coyly.

He glared at her, but decided against removing her smirk with his holy spells, and got to the point. "Stormblade." he said.

Her playful expression immediately dropped to a look of shock. "S-Stormblade?" she asked.

"Yes, that is what I said." he said, snapping her out of her stupor.

Immediately the woman stood and walked out from behind her desk. "Excuse me one moment..." she said, walking quickly through a door behind her and closing it.

"Odd..." said Synnaria. Dias looked down at her. "She was all fun and games until you mentioned your name."

"Observant of you." he said with a smile. "And yes, it is odd. I might be wanted. Maybe we should make a run for it?" he said looking at her.

She giggled. "You can't run faster than me." she quipped knowinly.

Dias was about to respond when they were both shocked by a yell from the back. "WHAT!?" came a loud shout from behind the door. "Are you sure!?"

"What do you think they're talking about?" asked Synnaria, her blond eyebrow cocked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but I can guess..." he said, but was cut off as both of them jumped in fright as the door slammed open again and a man dressed in long, elegant robes stood there breathing heavily. His black hair ran down his back, seemingly made of silk as clean and shiny as it was.

"You." he said walking around the desk and pointing at Dias. "Your name is Stormblade?" he asked, his body language showing signs of what seemed to be fury. Dias just nodded. The man roared loudly and walked away from them, stopping to stare at a wall. It seemed like forever before he had calmed himself and walked over to them again, this time with a sly grin on his face. "I'm sure you can prove your claim." Dias nodded again. "Come with me." he said, walking into the back room.

Dias and Synn followed him into the back, both shocked at the difference between the two areas. The outside was a pretty barren room with only a desk and a few paintings on the walls. This room was lavish, to say the least. Everywhere was purple, and velvet. Silk curtains hung over the windows, with cases of gold trinkets and various oddities covered the wall. The mans desk was covered in a vast number of books of all shapes and sizes, as well as a large red and gold pipe.

"So..." said the man. "Let's see your proof." he said. Dias looked at the man, then raised his hand up and took off his gauntlet, showing the silver and gold wristband with the seal on it. "May I?" he asked.

Dias cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. "You want me to give it to you?" he asked.

"My boy, any smith or jeweler can make something like that. You can't expect me to believe it's real without my own examination." he said. Dias nodded understandingly, but kept a cautious eye on the man as he handed over the trinket. Taking the bracelet, the man sat it on his desk and held his hands over it. Suddenly, a wave of arcane magic flourished from his fingers and wrapped around the object. It began to float off the desk as the man examined it closely. "Diasareth Stormblade." he said as he saw the name light up.

But both Synn and Dias jumped as a bolt of lightning shot from the bracelet, hitting the man in the chest and sending him flying against the wall. Dias ran over to where the man groaned and held the impact area on his chest. "Are you alright?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "That's certainly Alma's work." he said as he stood. Getting a curious look from Dias, the man stood up and dusted himself off. "Your mother, Almara Stormblade. She and I had an...interesting relationship." he remarked.

"Judging from the way the bracelet attacked you, I can't imagine it was a very good one." said the paladin as he crossed his arms.

"In a matter of speaking." said the man. "She and I were both on the council of High King Anasterian. We often had...conflicting opinions." he said sitting down at his desk again. "I don't suppose you know what happened to her?" he asked.

"She died." said Dias, not wanting to give the man any more information than he had to. "So, what about the rest of my family?" he asked. "Where are they? What do they do?"

The man looked up at Dias, then back at his desk. "I'm...not sure how to tell you this. But when Arthas attacked Silvermoon, your family was killed. Your mother was thought to be the only survivor, but...well..."

Dias sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Great, so I have no family anymore." he said.

"Yes, a sad situation indeed." said the man as he looked up at Dias. "Though, with the news of your mothers death, you still have their assets." he said. But the glare from Dias immediately shut him up.

"I came here looking for my family so I could learn more about who I am and where I belong. I didn't come to sieze my family name and leech off of it." said the paladin harshly. Suddenly, they were all startled by a scream outside the room. All three ran outside and saw the secretary against the far wall, trying to stay as far away from the door as possible.

"What's the matt..." asked the man, but he was cut off as the doorway exploded into a shower of rubble. "What in Anasterians name!?" he shouted.

Dias looked out the gaping hole in the wall and saw the cause. A giant golem creature was flailing wildly in the street outside the building. It grabbed ahold of a carriage nearby and hurled at down the street before letting out a feral, grinding roar. The paladin waited until the creature passed, then ran out the new opening and into the square known as the Bazaar.

When he caught up, he saw the golem walking towards a man who was standing in the center of the square. The Blood Elven man had a look on his face of 'I have better places to be', as he walked towards the golem. Dias sprinted faster and grabbed his weapon from his back. Infusing the blade with holy power, he hurled it straight towards the monster. The glowing missle found its target, sinking half the blade deep into its back. "Stay back!" shouted the paladin. The man donned a shocked look and nodded, taking a step back as the creature turned towards Dias. "Great, always getting myself into trouble." he said, smirking slightly as he recalled Maxwell saying that about him.

The golem charged at the paladin, letting out another loud roar as it neared its target. The high elf simply smiled as he rolled forward too quickly for the monstrous machine to react. He tumbled swiftly between its legs, then jumped up and grabbed the sword handle in its back, ripping the weapon from the golems back. Thinking quickly he swung at the monsters leg, severing it from the contraptions body.

A gathering had surrounded the bazaar as they watched the paladin and the walking statue fight. Dias stood just out of range of the things arms in case it started flailing. But he didn't expect the creature to grab its severed leg and reattach it. He saw the cut through the stone work seal back up as if it were being cauterized by magic. He snorted and looked around the monsters body, when suddenly it hit him. He smirked and held his sword at his side, the blade once again beginning to glow with holy energy. Unknown to Dias, the etchings of lightning glowed brighter than the rest.

The giant raised both of its arms and swung down hard at the miniscule high elf, but it's speed wasn't enough. It smashed the ground as Dias once again dodged the attack. But, it stopped moving. Dias landed and sheathed his sword across his back again.

At the very center of the golem, a round orb began to splinter and fall apart. Then, it shattered into a cloud of arcane dust and the golem fell apart. The man from before gave a small smile, then slowly approached the paladin.

"That was a remarkable show you put on there." he said, some of his blonde hair tied up into a ponytail, and the rest draping around his shoulders.

Dias turned to the man and nodded. "Thanks, it wasn't easy." he said, the looked the man up and down. "Are you alright? It was close enough to get a hit off before I distracted it. It didn't get you did it?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." said the Blood Elven man. "What was your name again?" he said, holding out his hand.

"Diasareth, Diasareth Stormblade." said the paladin as he shook the mans hand. Dias could immediately feel the mans grip tighten at the mention of his last name. "You...know the name?" he asked curiously.

"Sire!" came a shout from behind them. Dias turned to see the man from the embassy running towards them. He sighed in frustration, causing the man who's hand he shook to chuckle.

"Hello Dor'allus." said the man as a woman in silver armor approached and stood next to the taller elf. "I trust you're keeping out of the shadows?" The woman snorted amusedly, her flaming red hair flowing as the wind carried through the city.

Dor'allus glared at her, then turned back to the man. "Of course sire..." he said.

"So, you are Alma's son I presume?" asked the man. Dias turned back to him and nodded. "Come with me, we have much to discuss.

OoOoO

"Let my start off by introducing myself." said the elf as he sat in a large chair across from Dias and Synn. The room they now sat in was less extravagant than the office of Dor'allus, however it was no less beautiful. They all sat at a table that was covered with different snacks and drinks of all sorts. Despite the inviting aroma of the food however, Dias focused on the man. "My name is Lor'themar Theron. I am the current leader of the Blood Elves." he said before taking a drink from a small goblet. "Your name is Diasareth if I remember correctly." he said. Dias nodded, not sure what to say. Lorthemar turned his eyes towards the small girl, who had managed to kidnap an entire tray of cheese and was wolfing them down hungrily. "And who might this be?"

She looked up at him with a mouth full of food, however Dias spoke for her. "Her name is Synnaria Snowsong. I rescued her in the lands to the south. Her caravan was attacked by a giant...thing." he said.

Lorthemar cocked an eyebrow. "Giant white creature, multiple arms with a chain attached to its hand?" he asked. Diasareth again nodded. "And you killed it?"

"I did. There was another not too far off though. That one hurt her badly, but after I killed it too, I managed to heal her before the damage was permanent." he said.

The blood elf leader leaned forward in his seat, looking at the paladin incredulously. "You killed them both?" he asked. Dias looked at him oddly and nodded again. "My boy, you've helped us quite a bit by taking those monsters out. They've been notorious for destroying caravans of ours that pass through what is now known as the Ghost Lands. We've had to send sorely needed soldiers along with those caravans to fend off attacks from those abominations." said the blood elf with a smile. "So, you saved her. Am I to assume her family was in that caravan as well?"

Synnaria nodded, looking at the ground. "They hid me and tried to distract the monsters." she said.

Lorthemar nodded. "I'm sorry for your parents young one. I'll send scouts to find them so we can honor them properly." said the king, getting a small, though none too thrilled smile. Then he turned back to Dias. "So, tell me your story my friend. How is it that you stand before me today?"

The paladin looked at him solemnly and related to the blood elf his story, through a quick and simple version. "When I was a child, a man named Tirion Fordring found me sitting next to the body of my mother in the plaguelands. He took me to a place called Light's Hope Chapel, where I was raised as a Paladin of the Light. A few weeks ago, we were attacked by the death knight forces of the Lich King. We managed to hold them off, and Tirion appeared again, making a pact with the Argent Dawn of the Chapel and the death knights themselves that they would all work together to bring down the Lich King. I wasn't content to sit there and wait for our side to make the first move, so here I am."

"So here you are." said Lorthemar. Dias could tell that something was running through the mans head. After a few moments, he finally spoke again. "My boy, how would you like to help your people out?" asked the king. "You'd be doing me and the blood elves a great favor by taking up this task for me."

"Under one condition." said the paladin. The blood elf nodded. "I want her to have a good home, and whatever she wants. I want her taken care of, even if you have to take the cost out of my families assets." said Dias. Lorthemar looked down at the girl and nodded.

"I promise you that she will be taken care of. You have my word on this." said the king.

Dias sat back and nodded. "Alright. Then what is it you need me to do?"

OoOoO

Liadrin sighed frustratedly as she stood at her desk. She had gotten the message from Orgrimmar that the death knights were to be reinstated as members of the Alliance and the Horde, something she was less than happy about. After relaying the message to Lorthemar, who seemed abnormally content about the occurence, she came back to her office in a foul mood.

"Thrall was foolish to allow those scum back into our ranks." she said, remembering the day Arthas had attacked. Her love had gone to fight the menace, and was never heard from again. She stood staring at the desk, the letter from the Horde leader upon the flat surface. She didn't even raise her eyes when she heard her door open. "I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow if you need anything. I was just about to leave." she said irritatedly.

"I...I was wanting to see you." said the feminine voice. Liadrin immediately froze, a chill running down her spine at the voice that greeted her. Slowly she turned and looked at the visitor, seeing a female High Elf wearing black armor with dazzling white eyes. Her hair was usually well kempt for her profession, the dark curtain draped around her battle hardened features.

The fiery haired blood knight walked over as if she were in a dream, her hand reaching up and stroking the womans cheek. "Aedammair..." she said, feeling her cold skin against her hand. She broke inside, sinking to her knees as tears began to fall from her glowing green eyes.

OoOoO

Lorthemar had agreed to Dias' terms, and in return, the paladin promised to take care of the blood elves problem. But the blood elf leader wasn't finished yet. The high elf now followed him down the hall with Synn next to him, her hand in his.

She looked up at him with a sad look on her face. "You're leaving me here then?" she asked.

He looked down at her, then smiled sympathetically. "I want you to be safe."

"I'll be safe if I'm with you..." she said pulling herself in closer to him.

He reached down with his other hand and ruffled her blonde hair. "I'm afraid that I'm not as skilled as you make me out to be." he said. Lorthemar stopped to talk to someone briefly, allowing Dias to kneel down. "You aren't the only one who needs protection. I do too." he said with a smile.

She looked at him curiously. "You do? But you killed two giant monsters!"

He nodded. "I did. But they were mindless. They don't think, they just attack. If someone who could think were to get ahold of you, they could hurt me a lot." he said, brushing the hair out of her face. She nodded, understanding what he meant. "I need you safe, so that I can be safe. And I can't always protect us both." She nodded and sniffled as Lorthemar finished the conversation. Dias stood again and followed the blood elf. The woman that the blood elf king had stopped to talk to followed as well.

Finally, they managed to exit the building. Sunlight shined off the paladins entire figure, making him seemingly glow as the light reflected off his armor and hair. "It seems our day brightens even more." said the blood elf as Dias looked at him. "We have a new recruit in our ranks that I would like you to take with you on your mission."

Dias scratched his head. "Alright, but is that the best idea? A new recruit might get..." he said, but he choked on his words as he saw the figure walking up the stairs towards him. Her armor was blacker than anything the paladin had ever known. Her glowing white eyes peered at him with recognition, quickly turning to ire. "She's the new recruit?" he asked, his own face a mask of spite.

"Indeed she is. The death knights of Acheron have severed all ties with the Lich King, and now vow to help us destroy him. I would like to see how well they work, so I will be sending her with you." he said nervously, looking back and forth between the two. He could almost feel the loathing radiating between the two. "You two...know each other?" he asked.

"We fought at the Battle of Lights Hope. She killed many friends of mine in the name of the king she now disowns." he said.

As he finished, Liadrin stepped forward, glaring at Dias. "She was under his control then, but no longer." she said, half wanting Dias to accept the woman as normal, and half tempted to beat him senseless.

"I guess we'll see." said the paladin turned to the younger girl at his side. He knelt down and hugged her tightly.

Aedammair sighed, relieved that the news of her history didn't stop her from proving herself. She wanted to make up for what she had done, and Liadrin's cooperation definitely helped. Unfortunately, she hadn't expected that she would be paired with the one she clashed swords with at Light's Hope. She looked at the blood knight next to her and smiled somewhat.

"Thank you." said the high elf death knight. She knew the blood elf paladin had known her before her change, but her heart ached knowing that she could no longer remember the woman. Her apology would have to come later.


	7. City of the Damned

OoO( 7 )OoO

The elf, if he could even be called that anymore, sat on the stone floor of the blackened tower that was his home. He growled to himself in frustration as his scout told him what he already knew to be true. His two greatest creations were now dead.

His colorless hair fluttered as he stood to his feet, scowling at the scount through his white eyes. The undead stood their, emotionless and unmoving. He snorted and looked away from the servent, folding his hands behind his back. The Scourge, while obedient to his every order, were lackluster minions to have, fearing nobody. He let a sigh escape him, almost missing the days when he had minions that were terrified of him.

Those days were over now. It was time to move on with the old, and deal with the new. Like this current problem. "Who did it?" asked the elf.

The undead never took its view off its master. "It was a paladin." said the creature.

The black robed elf looked at the scourge before him with surprise. "A blood knight? Surely not. Lorthemar has thrown numerous of those at them before and only got viscera in return!"

The undead shook its head, the bones of its body rattling as it did. "Perhaps I should have been more clear. This was no blood knight, it was a paladin of the Light." said the creature, going back to its unmoving state after it finished.

The necromancers eyes widened at the realization. "A paladin of the Light, here? The Alliance has no more reason to be here than the Lich King himself anymore. What was he doing?"

"He was no Alliance pawn. He was a high elf with silver hair, and a lightning blade on his back." said the corpse. Finally, realization hit the elf. He turned from the minions, his face twisting in anger. "He headed to Silvermoon with a young girl. We know not what happened to him beyond that."

"If you see him in our lands again, alert me immediately. I wish to deal with this insect myself." said the elf, his glowing eyes now livid with anger. The Scourge nodded and exited the building, leaving the necromancer to stew in his own rage. When he was alone, he whispered one word to himself that infuriated him even more. "Stormblade..."

OoOoO

The appropriately named Ghostlands were less welcoming to the pair than when the paladin had passed through before. So far, the two had carved their way through what seemed like concentrated attacks from undead, spiders, bats, and a number of other terrifying creatures who had no doubt been turned hostile by the death of the land.

It had been hours of travel and battle before the pair found a quiet spot to rest themselves. A tower jutting out of the coast of the land was where they stopped, it's high spires acting as a temporary beacon for those seeking shelter from the merciless onslaught of undeath.

Dias sat, leaning against the frame of an arched doorway that led to a balcony. His eyes peered over the land in front of him, scanning its landscape for the first time since he had entered the place. Aedammair sat against the far wall, her eyes closed as many thoughts ran through her head, most of them questions. It seemed an eternity before one of them broke the silence.

"So, you are truly free of him?" asked the paladin, his eyes still locked on the dead land. The high elven woman opened her white eyes and looked at him through a glare. He had a right to ask, but that didn't mean she had to like his tone.

"I am free to do as I wish. Lord Mograine let us do as we please with our...lives." she said, unsure about using that last word. "Regardless, I am a fighter. I will not do as others have done and go to live in peace and solitude while the Lich King still breathes." Finally, the paladin turned and looked at her, a look of examining on his face. He seemed to be searching her, trying to find any exposed untruth about her statement. After a minute, he seemed satisfied. "Trust me, if I weren't free, I wouldn't be paired with the likes of yourself, off to assassinate someone for the leader of Silvermoon."

He nodded, standing up from his spot near the balcony and walked over to her, his travel pack clutched in his hand. He set the rucksack down and dug inside it. She looked at him curiously, her fingers resting on the handle of one of her axes should he try anything clever. Finally, he pulled out a loaf of bread and a cut of dried meat, handing them to her.

She dawned a look of shock as she looked at the food. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"When you were in the grip of Arthas, you could survive on his dark regenerating magic alone. But now that he is no longer controlling you, you no longer have the gift of immortality. Meaning you need to eat." he said.

She turned her head away with a glare. "I don't need your charity..." she said spitefully.

"Your stomach has been growling since we left Silvermoon." he said, still holding the rations out to her. "These ears aren't for decoration." he said with a smirk. She turned back and looked at him, then stared longingly down at the food. Finally, she reached foward and took them from him.

"So, you trust me?" she asked curiously before taking a bite from the food.

Dias turned around and walked back to his spot in the doorway. "No. Not by a long shot." he said, sitting down and looking at her. The moon was out tonight, and its light caught his silver hair as he rested again. "But I know that right now, you aren't the enemy. You've had multiple opportunities to kill me since we left, but short of an attitude, you've shown no hostility. And as long as it stays like that, we might as well be professional." he said, then turned back to the landscape.

The words shocked Aedammair into silence. Since her arrival at the city of Silvermoon, she had been treated as a monster. Not that the people were wrong in their judgement, after all, she was what she was. But it still hurt to be shunned at every turn. This paladin, someone she had physically harmed as well as emotionally with the death of his friends, was the first one outside Liadrin to consider her more than the Scourge. She sat silently, eating the food and continuing to stare at the paladin curiously.

OoOoO

After a decent rest, the pair packed their stuff away and descended the tower. As they walked down the stairs of the magnificent spire, a glint of light on the stairs caught the paladins eye. He stopped and knelt down, picking up a small object that seemed to shine in the light. The death knight walked up to him and looked down at the object.

"A pendant?" she asked. He shrugged as he examined it closer. It was heavily caked with ash and dark flaky residue, likely blood. But still, the brilliant blue stone in the center shone brightly, despite how tarnished the rest of it was. He put it in the pouch at his side after the appraisal and together they left the tower as cold and alone as it had been before their arrival.

In a matter of hours, they had reached their destination. It looked like a dark city built into the side of the mountains. Dias knew that on the other side of the mountains was the only place he had known his entire life, the now desolate Plaguelands.

"So, care to fill me in the rest of the way on our target?" asked the woman as she eyed the city cautiously.

Dias nodded, unable to pry his own eyes away from the city. "His name is Dar'Khan Drathir. He's a necromancer, and probably one of the most important high elf known to the world."

"Why is that?" she asked, staring at the tower that sat in the dead center of the city.

"He's the one who let Arthas into Quel'Thalas. He gave the Lich King the key, and allowed him to do this." he said, his arm arcing as if to show her the landscape.

She suddenly jolted. She looked at the ground confused, her brain running a million cycles a minute. She had done this before on several occasions, any time she thought she remembered something abour her past. This time it was stronger though. "Arthas entered Quel'Thalas..." she said, her hands weaving back and forth as if she was trying to make the picture appear in front of her. "He...he broke the first gate. Then...the bridge, and...Sylvanas fell..." she said as her eyes widened, an overwhelming feeling of recollection hitting her. "He killed her, and turned to the city. I tried to stop him...I was a blood knight...and he killed me." she finished.

Dias stared at her, a look of surprise on his face. She looked at him with so much confusion in her expression. She saw his face change as well, but she wasn't sure what it was. Pity? Sorrow? Neither of these made her feel any better. "In any case, he was believed to have been killed, many times over. But each time he keeps finding a way of reappearing."

"Like...a lich?" she asked. He turned and faced her, his expression a mask of confusion. She sighed. "A lich, it's an undead sorcerer who's soul is locked away inside a phylactery. They use these phylactery's to create physical bodies, allowing them near immortality as long as the item is still intact." she said.

"How did you..." he asked curiously.

She tilted her head and glared at his ignorance. "Lich King." she said. Her statement made him palm his own forehead in stupidity. "But, the phylactery could be anything. If he is some form of Lich, then likely it is somewhere he wouldn't want it to be found." she finished, scratching her chin.

They were both startled as a voice crashed intrusively against their ears. "So, the mighty Scourge slayer shows his face at my gates?" said the voice, loud and ambient. "You have destroyed two of my greatest creations, you carve a bloody path from Silvermoon all the way down to my little city here. Now, herein lies the question. Why?" said the necromancer as he crossed his arms.

Both the paladin and the death knight looked up at the arching gateway of the dead city, seeing a white haired elven form standing there. Dias smirked as he saw him. "You aren't a very popular person Dar'khan." said the paladin, his gauntleted hand gripping the hilt of his broadsword tightly. "Turns out selling the genocide of your own people for power hasn't made you any admirers." Aedammair simply glared at the dead elf, her white eyes memorizing the face that caused her, and many others deaths that day.

Dar'Khan chuckled to himself. "So, another do good hero come to slay the bad man that broke the inpenetrable kingdom of Quel'Thalas?" he said, slightly amused at the news. Suddenly, a cold laughter shook him slightly. The woman behind the paladin was laughing loudly, her mirth shaking her entire form. "Pardon, did I amuse you?" he asked.

When she recovered from her episode, she looked up at him with a winning smile, her white eyes locked onto his. "The man that broke the inpenetrable kingdom of Quel'Thalas? You?" she said, almost bursting out laughing again. Straightening her composure, she crossed her arms. "Arthas and his Scourge tore down the gates of our kingdom. He slaughtered our people and corrupted our Sunwell. You..." she said, pointing a pale finger up at him accusingly. "You opened the door, then ran down your little rat hole like a coward. You let that murderer do all the work. Then when you came grovelling up to him asking for your scraps of power, he killed you like the gutless dog you are." she said, her smile never waning.

Her comment had the desired effect, as his face contorted in rage. "You'll pay for your tongue bitch!" he shouted. Lifting both arms into the air, he shouted, "Arise! Come to your masters call and destroy these pests!"

Both high elves immediately drew their weapons, watching as the ground around them split open, limbs of all sorts clawing at the surface to get out. When the commotion finished, the pair were surrounded by a small army of rotting and drying corpses, all of them with their dead eyes set on the two. "You certainly know how to make friends..." said Dias as his blade began to glow with the power of the Light. Aedammair drew her axes with a smirk.

"Forgive me, courtesy isn't my greatest talent." she said.

"Destroy them!" shouted Dar'Khan from the top of the gate. The army of undead lurched forward, a wailing cry coming from their decayed throats. Dias immediately ran forward, the tip of his long blade scraping the dead earth before he crashed into the ranks of the Scourge. His sword was like a beacon of fire, blazing back and forth, sending limbs and bodies flying as he maneuvered the glowing blade.

The death knight started spinning her axes in her hands quickly as she was surrounded by the undead minions. She hurled her blade forward, the razor sharp blade like a whirlwind of slaughter as it carved its way through the horde of undead like they were paper. Immediately, the axe flew back to her hand as the beam of dark energy hit it, yanking it quickly back and taking out even more in its path. She dodged as one of the undead behind her tried to grab her, side stepping the monster and neatly severing its head. She quickly looked up to the sky and yelled loudly, the air around her turning chill with her cry.

The Scourge surrounding the woman began to slow to a grueling pace, their limbs snapping off as they strained against the ice that now formed on thier bodies. Without the feeling of pain to alert them, the undead continued their march, regardless of shattered bones and snapping limbs. She hurled both of her axes again, the death grip on them keeping them swarming in and out of the mob.

The paladin was easily surrounded by the Scourge forces, but the closer they came, the weaker they got. The Light seemed to sap the energies right out of their bodies as the blade seemed to hum with holy power. He swung the sword in a semi-circle around him, carving through three undead, not even stopping his onslaught to watch their bodies be devoured by the holy energy.

In a matter of minutes, the necromancers army had been demolished, their bodies either burned alive by holy power, or too shattered and broken by ice to be of any use. "It seems I've underestimated your abilities..." Dar'khan said as he looked down on them. "It matters not. Neither of you, whether alone or together are a match against my dark magics. Meet me inside if you wish to finish this." he said, then seemingly vanished from the gateway. The doors in front of the city opened slowly, creaking loudly as they swung.

Dias snorted as he looked into the gates that awaited them. "You know that it's probably a trap right?" he asked as she walked up to him.

"Of course it is." she said walking past the paladin. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." she said with a smirk. Dias grinned and walked behind her, entering the dead city together. "I'll hold you to that." he said as they looked around the area. They both stopped as they saw a large lumbering figure walking towards them.

"I figured as much." said the paladin as the abomination stomped its way towards them.

"I would like you to meet the rest of my greatest creations." said the familiar voice of the necromancer, it's raspy tone echoing around them. Aedammair looked around and noticed three other figures aside from the behemoth around them. One was an undead sorcerer, another was a skeletal warrior figure with a monstrous sword across its back, and the last was a dark shade with glowing red eyes.

"And the rat shows his true colors..." said the death knight, her smile growing as she felt the flicker of anger in his voice.

"Go my minions and crush these two." said the dead elf as he watched from atop his tower. Dias didn't give the minions the first move. His gleaming blade created a blurring streak as he dashed for the abomination. Aedammair turned and immediately grabbed the sorcerer in her dark grip, jerking him towards her at high speed.

The monstrous creation swung its third arm down towards the paladin, the axe within its grasp whistling as it flew. But the paladin seemingly vanished from in front of it, his sword slicing through the monsters side.

Though startled by her death grip, the sorcerer aimed its staff at the high elf woman and fired dark energy bolts towards her. The death knight deflected the blows easily with her axes, dashing towards the undead with amazing speed. The spellcaster didn't even get off another blast of dark magic before his head was sent soaring into the air.

The shade, surprised at the speed of the attacks, recovered quickly and held its arms forward, trying to hit the paladin with dark energy. But Dias rolled behind his current target, causing the energy to stab into the abomination, making it roar loudly as its left arm was seared off. The high elf took his chance and jumped up, cleaving through the two other arms on its right side, sending them tumbling across the ground.

Dar'khan watched them nervously. His initial plan to ambush them with his four lieutenants wasn't working. Two were already dead, and he didn't hold out much hope for the other two. Aedammair raised her axes, blocking a monstrous cleave by the skeletal warrior. The blow took her down to one knee, but didn't effect her swiftness. She immediately kicked out at one of its legs, impacting it and causing the undead to stagger backwards. Shoving up with her axes, she threw the creature off balance and began spinning with her twin blades.

The abomination immediately fell over after the attack that severed his remaining limbs. The paladin turned to the ghastly figure and charged, the lightning on his blade glowing like the sun in the dark environment. The shade immediately retreated, firing off bolt after bolt of dark energy at the relentless holy warrior. But the effects were minimal, easily being shattered against the gleaming blade as he raised it to deflect them. The paladin closed the distance between himself and the ghost in a matter of seconds, immediately jumping into the air with the blade over his head. The glow of the Light shining off him blinded the dark shade, immobilizing it just long enough for the high elf to bring the sword down. The blade seared completely through the dark entity, making it explode into nothing but smoke.

Aedammair spun like a cyclone, her axes tearing little by little into the skeletons weapon. Finally, with a mighty crack, the long blade succumbed to her relentless onslought, shattering into pieces. Dancing like a shadow of death, she whirled her axes at the undead, severing it piece by pieces until nothing was left but cleaved bone and rended metal.

Dar'khan growled to himself as he watched the spectacle. "Damn them..." he said to himself. He suddenly felt his stomach in his throat when he heard the paladin yell.

"Hey Necromancer!" shouted Dias, who was now wielding a hammer forged of light in his free hand. Running forward, he hurled it with all his strength. It flew like a missle straight where he was standing. Dar'khan jumped quickly, his white hair fluttering as the hammer nearly missed him, and instead collided with the tower that was his home. As soon as the weapon crashed into the tower, the necromancer yelled loudly in pain and fell to the ground out of mid flight. He got to his feet gasping in pain as he looked at them, his form distorting slightly.

"Damn you...damn you both..." said the dark caster as he got to his feet. He immediately fired a dark energy bolt at the death knight, sending her flying backwards. Spinning around, he raised his arms into the air, a cage of bone shooting out of the ground and surrounding the paladin. Dias swung his blade at the trap, but it clanged uselessly off the thick bones.

Aedammair jumped back to her feet and charged at the necromancer, her axes at her sides. However, she had to throw herself out of the way as a beam of dark energy crashed into the ground at her feet. She landed hard with a loud thud, and soon began rolling out of the way as the beam continued to follow her.

Dias grabbed one of the bones on the cage to try and rip it down, when he jerked his hand back in pain. Spines shot out of the sides where he grabbed them, piercing the skin in the slits his armor didn't cover. He looked outside, frustrated as Aedammair had to dodge the dark laser with everything she had. Kneeling down, he glared at the necromancer before closing his eyes. "Light, give me the power to free myself and destroy this blight upon the land." he said.

Aedammair hid behind the remainders of a building. But the beam smashed away at the stone structure, crumbling the wall in seconds. "Both of you will die for your indescretions! Then I will raise you both to serve at my side!" he shouted gleefully as the death knight fled for more cover.

Suddenly, both Aedammair and Dar'khan turned to look at Dias as a blinding light shined on both of them. Dias stood, his entire body flourishing with the power of the Light. The bones surrounding him discentigrated as he grabbed them. Dashing forward, the paladin of the Light slammed his palm down on the ground. Cracks filled with light shot from the ground, travelling at high speed towards the necromancer. They surrounded him and erupted underneath his feet, travelling up his legs until his entire body was covered in the zig-zagging holy light. "Aedammair! Now!" shouted the paladin.

The death knight sprung quickly out from behind her cover and yelled as she charged. Dar'khan cringed in pain as a wave of ice covered him. Both of the warriors ran toward the necromancer, the paladin with his palms glowing with the power of Light and the death knight with her keen edged axes at full swing. In a matter of seconds, it was over. Dias grabbed the necromancers head with his glowing palm, the Light searing into the dead elfs skin. Aedammair's axes sliced clean through the dark casters mid section, separating his legs from his torso.

Dias immediately slammed the dying casters upper half into the ground, forcing his power into the mans body so violently that it shot from his mouth and eyes. His body immediately deteriorated, leaving only a skeleton behind. The earth seemed to shake as they stood, staring at the remains of the former necromancer.

Suddenly, they both were startled as the dead elfs voice rang out around them. "Foolish mortals! Did you honestly think you could defeat me!?" he shouted angrily. "Nothing can stop me! I am immortal!" he shouted as the earth split open under them.

"The phylactery, we have to destroy it!" shouted Aedammair as she tried to keep her balance. The high elf stood somberly, their fight going through his mind rapidly.

"If the phylactery was damaged, it would weaken him right?" he asked her over the din of more undead crawling from the earth.

"Yes. Why?" she asked, eyeing him curiously. He smirked at her and opened his palm again, another Light forged hammer appearing in his palm. He spun quickly and hurled it again at the tower before them.

The hammer flew and crashed into the side of the stone, causing the previously damaged wall to collapse in on itself. Dar'khan roared loudly, as if in pain. "His body distorted when I hit it before...and he looked like he had been hit when it clearly didn't hit him." he said smiling. "I think we found our phylactery." he said.

Aedammair smiled and reached both arms forward, the shadowy tendrils reaching out and gripping the tower. She pulled down with all her might as the paladin sped his way towards the building, his palms again glowing with holy light. He slammed his hands against the building, the cracking light flooding the surface and causing the stone to splinter and divide. With the strength of her death grip, the high elf woman jerked down harder, the large tower on the building breaking off as its base weakened from the holy attack. With a loud, ear splitting crash, the entire building crumbled, falling to the ground and sent a shocwave that flattened the new risen Scourge.

Both of the warriors stood in the rubble of the fallen tower, breathing heavily as the strain from the fight finally hit them. They both turned, ready to fight again as the voice of Dar'khan could be heard once more.

"What is the meaning of this!? What is happening!?" shouted the frantic voice of the necromancer. He appeared before them in the form of a specter, his shape distorting and twisting more and more frequently as the seconds ticked by. "What did you do to me!?"

Dias walked foward, his sword in his hand once more, and pointed the glowing blade at the geist. "Your lich powers will serve you no more. Now go to the darkness traitor, where you belong." he said, and stabbed the ghostly form through its chest. Immediately the form evaporated with a loud shriek of pain. Sliding the sword back into its scabbard across his shoulder, he turned to the female death knight. She smirked at him, and he smiled back. "So...the next time someone asks a favor from me, just slap me in the face before I get the chance to say yes." he said.

She chuckled at her partner as they began walking towards the gate, the battle finally over, and the wear finally laying into the two.


	8. Journey to Orgrimmar

OoO( 8 )OoO

Back in Silvermoon, Dias stood atop a table dressed in red and gold robes to match the banners around him. In his left hand was a large flask of the finest booze that the wine masters could find. His other hand waved to and fro in a very animated nature as he told the tale of the two's heroics in the Ghostlands, his words extremely slurred and a bright smile on his face as the audience around him laughed and applauded at his antics.

Lorthemar himself sat at a large table nearby and chuckled to himself as the paladin nearly fell from the table in his gusto. But the audience pushed him back to his feet and the story continued with Aedammair watching amusedly from the same table as the Blood Elf leader.

"And there were two towersss! She grabbed one..." he said pointing in the relative direction of the death knight, as he was unable to actually see that far outside the blur. "and I grabbed the other! And we tore them to the ground, stone by stone until he wept for mercy. Then I attacked the abomin...wait...no I already did that..." he said as he held his head, the memory seeming to fly right out of his large pointed ears.

Lorthemar laughed loudly at how drunk the young elf had gotten off two tankards worth of wine. Turning to the female high elf next to him, he asked her smiling, "I take it he hasn't had much alcohol in his time?"

She shook her head and closed her eyes, a slight smile playing on her face. "From what he told me, he was raised at a Chapel in the plaguelands. They only had a mild beer there, and he didn't really have a taste for it. So he never drank any alcohol before today." she said, her eyes scanning the scene and etching every second of it into her brain to use at a later date.

"And then, there he was, staring at me with those cold dead eyes. And I said to him..." said Dias as he pointed at the fictional antagonist in front of him. Suddenly, a smile covered his face and he fell backwards, slamming into the table unconscious as the booze finally got to him. The audience stared momentarily before erupting in loud laughter.

The death knight, who now wore similar robes as the paladin, stood. Her ebony axes gleamed red in the fading daylight, one on each hip, and the one thing on her person she refused to give up as she changed. "Looks like I've got work to do." she said trying to hide her laughter as she walked up to the unconscious high elf. Taking him under the arms, she dragged him off the table and threw him over her shoulder.

OoOoO

When the paladin finally awoke, he sat up with light spilling into the room, hitting his eyes like burning knives. He covered his face, trying to protect it from the light as his head pounded heavily. Swinging his feet onto the floor, he got up and moved slowly towards the window to try and close the curtains. Grabbing one, he jerked it to try and slide it closed, but ended up using too much force and pulling the entire fixture down.

As the entire window full of sunlight smashed into his skull, he fell backwards again. "Ah! Help! I'm blind!" he shouted, covering his face once more from the persistent starlight. Immediately, he heard footsteps thumping up outside his door, then heard as the portal flew open.

"What happened?" asked a familiar voice.

"The window...kill the sun please!" he shouted, the pain searing through his head like a hot iron. The guest ran over to the window and erected the curtain again, closing it, but leaving the window open to allow air into the room. Finally, Dias managed to get to his feet again. He sat heavily on the bed, letting his eyes finally rest on the friend in his room.

"Better?" asked the young blood elf with a smile as she walked forward and stood in front of him. He nodded, finally recognizing Synn through the spots that the light burned into his eyes. "Good. How's your head?" she asked.

"It's...killing me..." he said to her, his hand going to his forehead immediately.

"Da told me that drinking too much alcohol can do that to you." said the young blood elf as she crossed her arms, smirking at him accusingly. "You seem to have had fun last night." she said.

He glared at her through one open eye. "I can barely remember last night..." he said. Finally, the effects of the blaring sun had worn off and he looked around curiously. He noticed that the room he was in was large, as was the bed. Far too large for one person in his opinion. The curtain he had pulled down was one of red velvet, trimmed with a gold pattern. There stood a table against the wall facing the foot of the bed, with a mirror and a large basin filled with water on it.

Walking over to the bowl, he looked into it before dunking his whole head into it. The young elf girl chuckled at he pulled his head out and just leaned over the water. Walking over, the girl pulled out a chair and pointed to it. "Sit!" she commanded, and he immediately did so. Pulling a decorative brush from one of the sliding compartments of the table, she began to brush his hair, pulling out all of the debris from the previous nights crash.

"Where are we exactly?" he asked, holding still and watching the girl in the mirror brush his hair clean.

"This is your house." she said with a smile. "Lady Liadrin said that this belonged to you. And she said that once I was older, I would be able to live here too." she said happily.

He nodded, flinching as the brush caught a knot in his hair. "So, Liadrin is the paladin right?" he asked. He saw her nod in the mirror. "She is kind to you?" he asked curiously.

"Yup. She even said that she could start training me to be a blood knight after the festival." she said.

"A blood knight?" he asked.

"The Blood Elf paladins are called Blood Knights. They get their Holy power from the Sunwell, unlike the Paladins of the Light. At least, that's what she said." said the girl as she finished with his hair. He looked in the mirror with a smile as his hair laid flat once more. Taking the cord from the table, he pulled his long silver hair up and tied it off into a ponytail once more.

"Do you want to be a paladin?" he asked, smiling as she nodded. "I'm sure you'll make a great one someday." he said patting her head gently.

"Well, if it isn't the featherweight." said a voice from the door. They both looked over to see Aedammair standing their with a smirk on her face.

Dias immediately rubbed his forehead. "Titans help me...you saw me didn't you?" he asked.

"Saw you, I had to haul you off the table you crashed on and carry you back here." she mocked, trying not to break into laughter. "So, two and a half is your limit huh? I'll remember that."

"Just kill me now..." he said sulking.

The girl next to him laughed and grabbed his hand. "Not yet. Lord Theron wanted to see you after you recovered." she said as she began pulling him towards the door. As he passed Aedammair, she pushed a flask into his hand.

"Here, take this. It'll kill the headache at the very least." she said as she followed them.

Once the paladin had gotten rid of his throbbing head pain, they all walked together through the city to Sunfury Spire where Lorthemar awaited them. He stood talking with four others in the center of the large dark shaded room. As they approached, he looked up and noticed them, welcoming them warmly.

"Diasareth, Aedammair, and even little Synnaria! It's good to see you all." he said as he motioned them over. After a warm greeting, the conversation began. Immediately, Aedammair began to feel awkward, as Liadrin was standing across from her, smiling at her. She smiled back, but once again felt a bit cold at the lack of feeling towards her.

"You wanted to see us?" asked Dias curiously.

Lorthemar nodded vigorously. "Indeed. I've called you two here to proposition you once more." he said. Immediately, Dias drew back defensively, getting a chuckle from the leader. "No no, nothing like before." he said, causing the paladin to relax. "As you have probably heard, the Blood Elf people have in recent years joined the Horde. As such, we cooperate with many other races. Silvermoon is now a city for all the magic users of the Horde to study."

Tilting his head, the high elf asked the first thing that popped into his head. "So...certain races aren't allowed in here?"

The leader hesitated momentarily. "We welcome all we can. But as things stand, our treaties with the Alliance are shaky at best. So I find it in our best interest not to allow their races among us until we are at a more stable time of peace." he said. Dias had a disapproving look on his face, but Lorthemar ignored it and continued. "Anyway, the reason I called you here is because I would like you two to act as emissaries for Silvermoon. You both have done us a great deed, and I would like to send you to Orgrimmar, the home of our leader Thrall."

"Thrall?" asked Dias, getting a nod from the leader. "And he is an orc?"

"He's a very wise orc who has the respect and loyalty of not only the blood elves, but the tauren, trolls, and even the Forsaken." said Lorthemar thoughtfully. "You were scarred by Arthas, were you not?"

The paladin went stiff at the mention of the Lich King's name. "He...yes." was all he could mutter.

"You came from Light's Hope Chapel to us in hopes of finding a path that would lead you to him. But staying here would only end that path for you. If you wish to progress in your quest, then your best chance is to speak to Thrall himself." said the blood elf leader.

Dias stood silently for a moment, only staring at the floor. Then, he looked back up to the elven man and nodded. "I'll go."

"Me too." said Aedammair from beside him. She noticed out of the corner of her eye the crestfallen look on Liadrin's face. "We may have helped the Blood Elves by slaying the necromancer, but man and orc alike both still don't trust my kind. If I'm to be accepted by this world again, it must start somewhere." she said.

Lorthemar smiled. "That's good. I'm sure you both will do well in the world." he said placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "I've told him of your coming. He will be expecting you." Both of the high elves nodded to him.

OoOoO

Synnaria stared at the ground as she had done before. Dias was standing in front of the window of his room, strapping his shining armor back on. She had felt this before when he left for the Ghostlands, but at the very least she knew he was coming back after that. But this time, she didn't know. She sat in the chair at the table almost unmoving as she stared intensely at the floor.

Once the paladin had strapped his armor and weapon back on, he turned to the girl who was sitting at the table. She seemed to have a lot on her mind. He smiled as he walked over to her and knelt down again. "What's the matter?"

She looked up at him, a look of sorrow in her eyes. "You're leaving again." she said. He nodded, and she looked at the floor once more. "But, this time I don't know when you're coming back."

He really didn't know what to say to her. He simply pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry I have to go so soon. But it's something I must do." he said quietly. She hugged him back.

"Please tell me you won't forget about me." she said as her glowing green eyes began to tear up. He pulled away from her with a shocked look on his face. "Please say that someday, you'll come back and visit me." she said as she sniffled.

"Of course I will." he said smiling confidently again. "I won't forget about you. I can promise you that for sure." he said. She smiled back at him and hugged him again.

"Good, because if you do, I'll find you. And I'll...hit you with a pan for forgetting me." she said chuckling.

He laughed as well at the thought of her chasing him around with a cooking pan. A moment of thought came to him then. Reaching down into the small pouch on his belt, he pulled a shining necklace out and held it in front of her. "Here, this is for you." he said.

She stared at the shining metal ornament in awe. It was all silver, with a pendant in the shape of a large decorative arrow head that had a ruby gemstone right in the center. Above the ruby was an immaculately carved _S_. She seemed hypnotized by its beauty. Dias took the necklace and put it around her neck, clasping it in the back.

"It's something to remember me by, until I can come and see you again." he said smiling. She hugged him again as Aedammair entered the room.

She too smiled softly at the girl. "It's time to go. Lord Theron has a mage portal ready for us." she said.

Synn looked at her, then marched up to the death knight, giving her a stern look. "You be careful. And make sure he comes back in one piece." commanded the girl. Aed stood straight and saluted, making the girl chuckle.

"Alright. Let's go." said Dias as he and Aedammair bid the girl a final farewell, then left the house. Soon, they entered the portal to Durotar, and the gates of the great city of Orgrimmar.

OoOoO

The land of Durotar was never known for being very hospitable. The entire countryside was little but sand and rocky canyons. Even the animals that crawled around the landscape were hardened, deadly creatures simply for existing in the harsh environment of the desert land.

The paladin and the death knight stood up the road from the mighty red gates of a city. Dias covered his blue glowing eyes as he looked around the barren landscape. "Well...this is certainly a change of scenery." he said as the heat from the sun caused mirage-like waves in the air.

Aedammair immediately began to feel the uncomfort from the heat. Stepping towards the gates, she urged him impatiently. "Let's get moving. I don't like being out here." she said. He nodded and followed her. Together they approached the gates of the city until they were stopped by a pair of the guards outside.

"Who wishes to enter the great city of Orgrimmar?" asked one of the orcs. He was tall, the muscles in his form pulled the meager armor he wore tight over his green skin. He had a deadly greataxe in his hands as his eyes scanned them both.

"We come from Silvermoon to see Thrall. We are here on behalf of Lorthemar Theron." said Aedammair as she handed the orc the writ from the blood elf leader. The orc scanned it thoroughly. But judging from his erratic eye movement, Dias supposed that the orc couldn't read. He was mearly looking at the seal on the writ.

"Alright, you're good." said the large green brute in a gruff dissatisfied voice.

The two walked passed him and Aedammair chuckled. "From the sound of it he wanted a fight." she said as they walked into a zigzagging tunnel. Dias looked at the walls, a smirk grabbing him at her comment. The architecture of this city was unlike any he had ever seen before. It was mostly wood and bone, with jagged spikes sticking out of the framework.

Together, they entered into the sunlight again and gasped at what they saw. Right in front of their eyes was what seemed to be a town square carved into a canyon. The entire area was flooded with different races, some browsing the merchant booths, some standing on a rock chatting, even some doing nothing in particular, choosing to instead tower over the other civilians on giant mounts.

The two said nothing as they walked into the flow of the traffic. Their eyes looked back and forth, amazed at the amount of people the city held. "I've never seen anything like this..." said Dias as his eyes excitedly scanned the different races. He had seen many in his time at Light's Hope, but there still remained a few that he had yet to meet. He locked his glowing eyes onto a small green creature with large pointed ears.

The creature turned to him with a curious look, then smiled. "Hey honey, like what you see?" said the female. Dias immediately froze. She had dark hair, pulled up into braided pigtails with numerous shiny metal rings in her ears. Her clothing was black as well, the shirt high cut to show her muscular green stomach and pants tight enough to reveal the rest of her shape. He took a step back immediately.

"Ummm...sorry miss, didn't mean to stare." he said nervously, unused to advances. He turned to go when she grabbed his arm with her large, strong hands.

"Where you goin' hun? Don't tell me you don't find me attractive!" she said disappointed. He turned to her with a nervous smile.

"No it's not that...it's just that..." he said, then tilted his head back as a blade in her hand swished past his face, almost too fast to see. He stared at her cautiously as he felt the wind turn and brush against his face. Standing back to his full height, he locked eyes with the female, who now had a look of triumph on her face. "That was a bit close was it not?" he asked, crossing his arms. "Any particular reason you took a swing at me?"

"Just a little test." she said as she flipped a dagger through her fingers.

"What kind of test?" asked the high elf curiously.

"To see if you're a patsy." she said, getting a confused look from him. "People come into this city all the time from all over the world. Most of them are useless. Nobodies that come here to make it big, or the be a part of something important. Those people wouldn't see that coming, and would even believe that they had gotten the mark somewhere else. But every now and then, I find a good one who sees it." she said sliding the dagger into its sheath behind her back."

"And why does that make us good ones goblin?" asked Aedammair as she joined the conversation.

The small creature crossed her arms with a smirk. "Because, that means I can use you elf." she said. "But that's for another time. Right now, just know that I'm interested in you two." she said as she turned and walked away from them, leaving both elves extremely confused.

"So...that's a goblin..." said Dias. Aedammair nodded. "Not really how I pictured them."

"Don't act surprised yet. There are many stranger things you have yet to see." said the death knight.

He looked at her, scratching his chin. "Hmmm...like your sense of humor?" he asked shortly before slamming into an orc as she shoved him roughly. "My apologies sir..." he said as the orc turned to him. This one was much larger than their previous encounter. It's dark hair was long, with a matching beard that was braided on both sides. His armor was shining in the light of the desert sun.

"You two are new to Orgrimmar." he simply said in common. They both looked at each other, then back to him curiously. He smiled, his mouth larger than their heads. "Your armor is clean. It won't be after some time spent here." he said.

"Ah, I see." said Dias, looking down at his still unscarred armor. "We were actually sent here to find an orc named Thrall. Would you know where we can find him?" he asked hopefully.

"Ah...the visitors. Don't worry, I'll show you to him." he said as he turned to walk up the road.

OoOoO

On the opposite side of the road, a female orc stood staring at the pair of elves. She was clad in pure red gleaming armor, the heat waves making her armor look as if it were on fire. She bore a sword in one hand and a round shield in the other. Her face twisted into a smile when she saw the other orc leading them towards the ravine up the hill. "There are the targets. It's time to get to work." she said to seemingly nobody.

OoOoO

Dias and Aedammair followed the orc up the hill into a ravine that was covered on both walls with shops of all kinds. Both of them took the time to admire the design of the buildings which were stacked on top of one another. Dias caught a glimpse of troll walking into a shop and went to get a quick peak.

But he stopped when Aedammair grabbed his shoulder, halting him. He turned to look at her curiously. "I don't like this..." she said nervously.

"Like what?" he asked curiously.

"Everyone is staring at us. They aren't making any noise, just watching, like they're waiting for something." she said.

Dias looked around at the citizens. He had been so fascinated with the new races and examining the new city that he hadn't even noticed, but she was right. Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Goblins, Forsaken, and even Blood Elves had not only parted the way and let them through, but stood watching them, both from the sandy road on which they walked and from the walkways above.

Suddenly, their guide stopped as a loud yell sounded through the canyon they stood in. "Paladin!" shouted the gruff, yet feminine voice. Dias turned back and forth, looking for the origin of the voice, but found nothing.

Suddenly, they were both thrown from their feet and sent tumbling as a red blur crashed into the ground between them, sending out a shockwave that erupted from the earth. The creature, Dias saw, was a female orc, her purplish mohawk dancing as the wind picked up.

The paladin was quickly on his feet, his sword drawn and aimed at the adversary. Aedammair, who had been thrown in another direction, got up and drew her axes, ready to assault the orc. She froze however as she felt a point prick her neck.

"Tut tut, two on one, now that's just not fair." said a smooth, sarcastic voice behind her. She felt the blade dig into the skin a bit as the assailant chuckled. Jerking her head back, she made contact with his skull, knocking him backwards and making him lower the blade in shock.

Spinning around, she looked for her attacker, but could see nothing. "What the hell?" she said frustrated.

Dias stood firmly, but not firm enough. The orc charged at him with amazing speed, smashing her shield against him with enough force to once again blow him backwards. He landed hard on the ground, coughing as the dust of Orgrimmar filled his lungs. Despite his hacking and coughing, he still managed to see the flaming red warrior about to land on him. Rolling quickly, he escaped her stomp by inches. Lashing out with his leg, he scored as his plated foot contacted the back of her knee.

She growled as her knee struck the ground, but quickly recovered. Turning, she saw the paladin now stood and was smiling. Smirking slightly, she charged forward again. This time however, the paladin saw it coming. Her shield was knocked aside allowing a quick punch to break through her defenses and send her rolling across the ground.

Aedammair was now furious. She knew when she was being toyed with, and didn't like it in the least. The invisible opponent was just that, invisible. They left no footprints, made no sound, and gave no sign of where he had been or was. Numerous times, she felt and heard the blades of his daggers scrape her armor. But she knew that was no fortune looking out for her. He was intentionally missing, trying to infuriate her, and it was working.

She felt the blades scrape against the back of her armor, causing her to spin around swing both axes in a circle in an attempt to finally hit something. But once again, she only hit thin air. Finally, she snapped. Shouting loudly in the air, a cold wave of air flew out and smashed into the invisible target. Suddenly, the assassin appeared in front of her, his lower half covered in ice.

He had a panicked look on his face when he realized he could finally be seen. Taking his dagger, he raised it and thrust it at the ice, trying to break the trap apart. Aedammair smiled wickedly and shot her hand forward, the dark energy grabbing the blood elf around his throat and pulling him clean out of the ice. The assassin saw the scourge warriors axes ready to cleave him in two as he flew through the air. Her axes sung, but seconds before they contacted her attacker, he exploded into a cloud of black smoke.

Growling, she turned to see him screeching to a halt in the dust behind her. He looked up at her and winked with an arrogant smile on his face. "Almost had me..." he said as he spun the daggers in his hands. He dashed forward, surprising Aedammair as with his speed he was practically a blur in the sunlight. She threw her axes up in front of her face, catching both of his daggers as they aimed for her throat.

Dias now had his sword locked with the orcs. However, she swung her shield around and smashed it against his side, sending him rolling to the side. Jumping up, she brought her blade point down in the ground, sending a shockwave crashing in front of her. This caught him and smashed him into the wall of a building, making stars explode into his eyes.

"Is this all you have elf?" she shouted, laughing loudly. He got to his feet again, his blade held loosely in his hands. Stabbing the sword into the ground, he stretched his arms out and smiled. Waving for her to attack, he simply stood there in the open next to his sword. The orc grinned and dashed forward again. The paladin did the same, leaving his sword behind. "No weapon? You dare mock me!?" she shouted as she charged.

Dias clenched his hands, a holy hammer appearing in his palms as they charged towards each other. "Wouldn't dream of it!" he shouted back at her. She thrust her shield forward, but with his momentum, the elf swung the holy weapon and smashed it into the ground. The resulting shockwave startled the warrior, causing her to stumble backwards. The hammer vanished immediately as he let go, his hands now locked into fists.

He threw his plated fist forward into her gut, causing her to double over in pain. Jumping nimbly over her, he swung his foot around and contacted her in the back, sending her rolling foward. He jumped once more, the hammer appearing again as he swung it down towards his adversary. She rolled out of the way just in time, however the hammer hitting the ground caused another shockwave that jarred her strong frame.

She quickly got to her feet, smiling brilliantly. "That's more like it!" she shouted as she charged him once more. The paladin looked at her oddly. She should have been worn down by now, but she seemed more energized than ever. He was going to have to end this once and for all.

Aedammair was on the defensive against the rogue. She blocked his attacks, only to watch him disappear and assault her from a new direction. The strain on her was growing more and more, her breathing deepening and growing more laborous. She couldn't do anything to attack him.

"What's wrong love? You were doing so well!" asked the assassin in a snarky tone. Growling, she roared loudly, stomping on the ground and kicking up a dust cloud large enough to cover her entire form. "I'm afraid that won't help you." he said as he dashed into the cloud. He immediately saw her silhouette holding her axes through the dust. Swinging his daggers, he felt them bite all the way up to the hilt into the body in front of him. Standing back, he frowned. "Shame...such a waste of a woman." he said turning around. But he felt a chill go down his spine as two arms wrapped around him and grabbed him tightly, keeping his limbs pinned to his sides. "What...what is this!?" he asked.

The dust cleared finally and he saw the death knight smirking in front of him. Turning his head, he saw that the target of his blades had instead been an undead minion. She roared at him, once again covering his form in ice, as well as that of her minion. Running forward, he looked on in horror as she closed in on him.

"Now...let's talk about this! I was just..." he said, but the air left his lungs as her fist slammed like a cannonball into his gut. With her momentum, she had shattered her minion as well as the ice, sending the elf flying off to crash through the wall of a building.

Dias was now dodging the frantic attacks of the enraged orc, her excitement only feeding into her energy as she swung the weapon wildly. Unfortunately, with her wild energy, she became more careless. Dias took advantage of this, throwing in punches and kicks that made her even more wild in her flailing. The paladin dodged another of her swings, and saw his chance. He ran foward and side stepped as she swung her shield at him.

He ducked under the plate and jumped up high into the air. Clenching his hands once more, the hammer appeared again, the light of the holy weapon shining like a beacon onto all the watchers. The orc looked up and raised her shield to try and block the attack, but as the paladin brought the hammer down onto the protective plate, the attack sent a shockwave through the very bones in her body. She roared loudly in pain as the hammer vanished.

She held the shield in place for a few more moments before her body finally gave in. She slumped over on the ground, her breathing heavy as sweat poured down her face. But to the high elfs surprise, she was chuckling as she lay in the middle of the road. Aedammair turned to see the paladin scratching his head confused.

Suddenly, they both turned as they heard a loud clapping. The orc that had guided them there was now smiling widely. "Very good my friends. I bid you a formal welcome to Orgrimmar."


	9. Of Orcs and Trolls

OoO( 9 )OoO

Both the paladin and the death knight now stood in the center of a large shelter, known to the orcs as Grommash Hold. While it was small in space, the ceiling inside vaulted into the air, almost too far above for them to see. The floor they stood in the middle of had a map of the entire world carved into its surface. The high elf male looked across the map, noting the different models and flags placed on its surface, most of them in the continent known as Northrend.

The orc who had guided them up the valley now stood in front of them, sitting in a large chair built into the back of the chamber. As they approached, he stood with a large smile and open arms, causing them to stop in front of him. Dias was looking around the chamber at the other random assortment of folk in their presence. He noticed the orc he had locked blades with sitting next to the large bearded orcs chair with a troll healer attending to her. Despite her injuries, she was smiling at him for some unknown reason. He merely smiled back at her, unsure of how to respond to the unusual creature.

"My friends! Apologies for the unsual greetings." he said in a loud, baritone voice. A red skinned orc next to the larger one snorted dejectedly and glared at the female. But the larger orc silenced him with a glare.

"That was a greeting?" asked Dias as he cocked an eyebrow. "I don't have a lot of experience in the world, but this is the first time someone has ever greeted me with a death match." he said, getting a chuckle from the female orc.

The larger orc smirked. "It is our way my friend. We orcs commonly greet one another through battle."

"If you call that a battle." said the red skinned orc. The female orc stood to her feet, now growling at the comment.

"You think you can do better Garrosh?" she asked in a threatening tone.

Garrosh, the red skinned orc glared at her. "In my sleep, wench." he said, his hand now on the large axe at his side.

"Enough!" shouted the orc in the middle. Both of the other orcs said nothing more and went back to what they were doing. "Perhaps introductions are needed." Dias could immediately tell that the orc before him held the most power among those in the room. "I am Thrall, leader of the orcish people, and Warchief of the Horde." he said as he turned to the female.

The orc warrior smiled again and walked forward to Dias. Holding out her large, battle worn hand, she said, "I am Vixxen Vorgoth, daughter of Agravor and Agorza, and leader of the Korkron." Dias took her hand, but soon regretted it as she jerked him forward and headbutted him square between the eyes. He stumbled backwards and shook his head, startled by the orc greeting. "It was an honor to battle you."

Once Dias had cleared his head and regained his composure, he turned to her and nodded, now understanding her constant smile towards him. "It was my pleasure to fight such an honorable warrior." he said. "I am Diasareth Stormblade of Light's Hope Chapel." he told them, getting another snort from Garrosh.

Thrall turned to the red skinned orc with a disapproving glare. "This is Garrosh Hellscream, son of Grommash Hellscream." he said, leaving out the orcs title.

Dias looked at the orc with a glare of his own. "I noticed your reaction to my hometown. Do you have something against Light's Hope?" he asked politely.

The orc turned to him with a smirk. "A pool of filth made by the Alliance. Any member of the Horde foolish enough to fraternize with them should be exiled." he said.

Dias immediately felt his rage rising at the orcs comment, his hand now gripping the sword handle over his shoulder. But he stopped as Aedammair grabbed his shoulder.

"I am Aedammair, a death knight of Ebon Hold." said the female as she defused her partner.

"And now we welcome this scum into our ranks." said Garrosh, his massive arms crossing his broad chest.

"And why not? If the Horde allows talkers with no bite like yourself in, at the very least they could use someone who actually uses their weapons." she said smoothly.

It took a second to register what the female high elf had said, but when it did, Garrosh flew into a rage. His large axe was immediately in his hands and raised into the air as he roared a battle call. Dias immediately drew up his sword and blocked the swinging blade, stopping the weapon in its tracks. Aedammair moved swiftly, stepping behind the orc and holding both her axes at his red throat. The orc went to pull his weapon back, but the paladin immediately twisted his blade, swinging them both down towards the ground and keeping them locked together.

"What's wrong little orc? All that yelling and screaming and this is all we get?" she asked as her razor sharp blades dug a bit into his skin.

"That's enough!" shouted Thrall, the volume of his voice surprising everyone and nearly shaking the walls of the chamber. Aedammair pulled her blades back and put them at her side once more, as did Dias. "Garrosh, leave the Hold and get to work and the next fleet!" shouted the orc leader. The red skinned orc looked at Thrall, surprised at his order, then turned towards the chamber door livid, his axe once more at his side.

As he passed the paladin, the orc heard barely above a whisper. "Next time you draw your blade to me, you won't have your leader to save you." Garrosh stopped and turned, locking eyes with the high elf paladin. Their internal battle only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to stretch an eternity between them. Finally, the orc turned with a grunt and left the chamber.

"My apologies. Garrosh is a good orc, and very good at what he does. But he sometimes lets his mouth talk before his brain can catch it." said Thrall from the chair.

"No apologies are needed for his actions." said the paladin as he turned back to the Warchief. "As long as his views do not reflect the views of the Horde, then I am not bothered." he finished.

The orc bowed his head. "My thanks friend. Now, you say you are from Light's Hope?" he asked. Dias nodded, and the orc began to stroke his braided beard in throught. "So you are a paladin of the Light then. I've not seen one of your kind since Arthas." said the orc. Dias heard the name and looked down. But the gesture went unnoticed by the Warchief. "It will be refreshing to have one among our ranks, as well as another Death Knight. Ones of your skill are sorely needed in the battle for Northrend."

Both of them looked up at him. "We are going to Northrend?" asked the female elf.

"Despite our numbers, the forces of the Lich King outnumber us greatly, not to mention those of us that they kill are added to their numbers. And regrettably, not all that we send to fight are warriors like yourself. I would like you two to go to Northrend and help our soldiers so that they may fight as good as yourself." he said.

"I..." said Dias as the compliment settled in. "I would be honored." he said bowing his head in respect.

"As would I." said the death knight, who smirked.

"But..." said the paladin looking up at Thrall. "As you know, my goal lies in Icecrown. I will help your soldiers all I can, but as I'm sure you were told by Lorthemar, I left Light's Hope to find the Lich King and destroy him. So as long as my duties do not interfere with my goal, I will do as you ask." he said.

Thrall nodded. "I had heard." he said walking down the stairs from the large chair, the massive hammer on his back clanking against his armor as he did. He stood in front of the paladin with a confident smile. "I'm sure that your goals won't be compromised by my requests." he said, then turned his back. "And besides, seeing as you aren't an official member of the Horde, you are not held to my orders. This would be a favor to me and to the Horde." he said as he walked back up to his chair. "If you wish to go to Northrend where the Lich King dwells, I will have a vehicle called for your passage. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay at our inn free of charge."

OoOoO

Dias and Aedammair had left Grommash Hold and now walked down the dusty path of the city. The paladin scratched his head confused. "That...actually went a lot better than I thought it would." he said.

The female nodded with a smile. "Yeah. I didn't think after the fight that broke out that we would get out of there alive, let alone be given a free ride to Arthas' door step." she said. "What do you think of Garrosh? Do you think he will be a problem?"

Dias shook his head. "As long as he stays out of our way and keeps his tusked mouth shut, he'll have no problems from me." he said. "Besides, it's unlikely that we'll even see him there, if he has the berries to actually go to Northrend to fight." he said. She chuckled at the comment as they both strolled up to the inn.

Both of the elves were startled as soon as they reached the stairs. A blue body had been flung out of the open door, crash landing at their feet and startling them into silence. "Ah, cum on momma! Why you gotta treat me dis way?" said the troll as he got to his feet, his large tribal green mohawk almost obscene to the eyes.

"You take ya drunken self back to Sen'jin before I bury dese two toes in dat behind o' yurs!" shouted a female of the same race from the door. She turned around and strutted back into the inn flustered.

The downtrodden troll finally noticed the two staring at him and turned to them. "Greetins to ya mons!" he said waving at them. "Mah name be Amarr." he said as he slunk up to the two.

"Ummm...Diasareth..." said the paladin as he shook the drunken trolls hand. Aedammair simply glared at the troll. "So...what exactly was that about?" he asked curiously.

The troll looked at him, then back at the inn. The high elf could almost feel the alcohol from the trolls breath seeping into his skin. "Oh dat...don't be bodda'd by dat she-demon mon. She be in love wit me. She just don't be knowin' it yet, ya digg?" he asked.

"Uhh, yeah, I dig." he said as he pried his hand out of the iron grip of the troll. "Well, we've got a long day tomorrow, so we better get inside." he said as he walked towards the inn.

"Aright den. Be seein ya in da mornin' mon." said the troll as he slunk over to a large rock jutting out next to the inn and curled up to sleep.

Aedammair chuckled as they entered the inn. "So, looks like no drunks allowed." she said as she smirked at him.

He sighed and held his head. "Shut up..." was all he said, getting a knowing laugh from her. They approached the counter and the paladin smiled at the female troll. The bartender and bouncer all in one smiled at them from around her tusks.

"What can I be doin for ya today?" she asked politely.

"We need two rooms for tonight by request of the Warchief." said the high elf female with a smile.

"Ah, I rememba da pair of ya. Fightin' da Warchief's best up in da valley." she said as she handed them both keys. "If ya be needin anyting, mah name be Angel."

"Angel?" asked Dias curiously, averting his gaze from her wild fiery colored hair.

The troll placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head at Dias. "Mah name be too hard to say for most folk. So da people here gave me da name Angel." she said, giving the paladin an accusing look. "You tryna say sometin?" she asked.

The elf held his hands up defensively. "Nono...just curious." he said, then turned and walked towards the stairs of the inn. Aedammair followed him up.

"Diasareth Stormblade, ladies man of Orgrimmar." she said sarcastically. She busted out laughing at the death glare he gave her before he vanished into his own room.

OoOoO

After two days, the pair had received a summons by Thrall. They left the inn, surprised to see that Angel was no longer behind the counter, and instead a different orc female was in charge.

Following the courier, they walked through the dusty city and took an elevating platform up to the plateau of the valley walls. They walked a path made of plated metal towards two towers that stood in the background, both of them with large ships tied off to the docks on top. Attached to each ship was an enormous balloon that held it aloft.

Aedammair immediately stopped as they approached. "We...we're going in that?" she asked, her face now a mask of terror.

The courrier, an orc male covered in armor, turned to her. "Yer. Fastest way to get there." he said, turning and walking towards the zepplin towers once more.

"I thought we were going by ship!" she said, taking another step back.

"What's the matter?" asked Dias as he stepped closer to her. "Are you afraid of heights?" he asked curiously.

She immediately got defensive and crossed her arms. "No..." she said with a growl.

He smirked, seeing directly through her lie. "Good." he said, then knelt down and picked the death knight up over his shoulder. She shrieked in surprise and immediately started hitting his back. "Then let's go." he said with a smile.

"Let me down!" she yelled, but to no avail. He had her locked over his shoulder so that she could barely move. "Traitor! Fiend!" she shouted as he began walking up the stairs of the tower.

When they finally made it to the top, they were surprised to see the fiery haired troll standing on one of the ships. "Goin' to Nort'rend?" she asked with a smirk.

Dias finally set Aedammair down and they both looked at her curiously, the death knights fear of heights forgotten in the moment. "You are going too?" asked the female.

The troll nodded and crossed her arms, swelling her large chest proudly. "I be da best pilot in Orgrimmar." she said as she smiled around her tusks. "I could fly ya troo da Maelstrom and back if ya be wantin'."

"That...won't be necessary." said Dias with a nervous smile. He suddenly looked out over the edge of the tower as he heard a loud howling. The paladin saw a rider on a Battle Worg riding towards the towers.

"If ya be goin', den get on and hold onta ya pretty hair elfboy." said the troll as she walked up to the helm. "Dis might not be da most comfy ride ya ever had, but it'll be da safest and fastest." she finished. A goblin hopped off the flying ship and disconnected the rope holding the ship to the tower as both of the elves boarded. Aedammair immediately went downstairs into the cabin to get away from the open air.

But Dias continued watching as the rider ran straight into the tower and up the stairs, not even bothering to dismount. Suddenly, the worg exploded from the doorway and dashed for him. As it came to the gap between the zepplin and the tower, it hurled itself foward and crashed into the high elf, pinning him to the wood as its rider landed heavily upon the deck.

With a loud grunt from the rider, the worg walked over and heeled next to the owner. Dias stood and rubbed his shoulder sorely. Looking at the attacker, his eyes opened wide at seeing the orc female before him.

"Vixxen?" he asked surprisedly. She nodded with a tusky smirk.

"Glad you remembered elf." she said as their cloaks billowed with the wind.

He smirked and held out his hand. "Glad to have you aboard." he said as she took his hand. They both jerked the other forward and their foreheads slammed together as the zepplin picked up speed and took off for the land of the north, the frozen plain of the Lich King, Northrend.


	10. The Frozen North

OoO( 10 )OoO

Silvermoon City was lively in the morning. The blood elven people seemed to live by the sun, waking as soon as it rose, and relaxing when it set. There was however, one blood elf who didn't let the darkness tire her. She was a young girl who stood before a target dummy with a wooden stick, swinging at it and striking it at different angles.

Her teacher stood behind her as she attacked the inanimate enemy, watching her form. Walking up to the girl, she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're trying too hard." said Liadrin as she held up her own sword to show the girl. "When you swing a weapon, it shouldn't be a burden to you. It's supposed to be an extension of yourself." she said as she twirled the blade in her hand and swung in an arc in front of her. "You don't need strength to wield a weapon effectively, you need grace and and coordination."

Synnaria watched as the woman swung the blade back and forth as if it weighed nothing at all. Looking down at the stick in her hand, she scratched her head. "But, weapons are meant to hurt others. You make swinging a weapon sound so nice." she said.

The paladin looked at her and smiled sweetly. "It's true. Weapons are created to hurt others, but at the same time, they can be used to protect those close to you." she said. Synn's mind immediately flew back to Dias' words when he left for the Ghostlands.

"So, a weapon isn't just a tool to hurt others?" she asked.

Liadrin shook her head. "A weapon is a protecter, as well as an attacker. It becomes what its master wishes it to be." she said.

Synn nodded and turned back to the dummy. Holding the stick in front of her, she pulled back and swung once again with all of her might. The wooden rod missed however, sending a girl into a spiral that sent her crashing to the ground. Liadrin chuckled as Synn rubbed her head sorely. Leaning down, she grabbed the girls arm to help her up.

Suddenly, the paladins gaze locked onto the necklace around the girls neck which had danced out of her shirt as she fell. After getting the girl to her feet, she knelt down and examined the necklace. "Where did you get this?" she asked, almost shocked at seeing it.

Synn noticed her gazing at the necklace, and was startled when she grabbed it so she could get a better look. "Dias gave it to me before he left. He said that it was something to remember him by."

"Did he say where he got it from?" she asked. But Synn shook her head. Liadrin looked from the girl back down to the necklace. "Young one, what you are wearing is the necklace of the Ranger General of Silvermoon, Sylvanas Windrunner."

Synns eyes went wide with awe. "THE Sylvanas Windrunner?" she asked.

Liadrin nodded. "She must have lost it when she..." she stopped herself before finishing the sentence. Standing to her feet again, she turned her back to the girl, looking off into the distance. "She died during the purging of the Ghostlands. And now, she is the leader of the Forsaken people in Undercity."

Synn covered her mouth. "She died?"

Liadrin nodded. "She was brought back by Arthas, so he could torment her. But she turned the tables on him and now no longer considers herself one of us."

"I should return this to her then." said Synn as she looked down at the necklace.

"I wouldn't advise it." said the paladin as she turned back to the girl. "Sylvanas is one of us no longer, she despises the living. Bringing her something of hers when she was alive may set her off, so I wouldn't suggest returning that to her." said the woman as she knelt down. She took the necklace and placed it back inside the girls shirt. "You just keep that safe." she said, getting a nod from the young girl. "Good, now let's get back to training."

OoOoO

Aedammair sat in her cabin on the bed, her stomach finally used to the rocking of the airship. A few days had passed before she was finally able to exit the cabin and see the open air for herself, though she still stayed in the middle of the ship, away from the edges. After noticing Vixxen on the ship, she questioned her.

"Why did you come with us? I thought you were the Warchiefs Korkron." asked the death knight.

The female orc who stood at the head of the ship smiled into the wind as it blew through her hair, as well as her cloak, making both of them flutter. "The paladin...Diasareth...is a great warrior. You are a great warrior." said the orc as she continued staring at the approaching horizon.

"Uhh...thanks. But that doesn't..." said Aedammair, but she was cut off.

"The Warchief is protected greatly. The Korkron number fifteen in total, including myself. And, nobody in Orgrimmar would let anything happen to their Warchief. He is greatly loved by many." she said, finally turning to the death knight with her confident smile. "Since I was an orcling, I've wanted to be the greatest warrior alive. Until you came to Orgrimmar, the only challenge I've had was that fool Garrosh and the Warchief himself. Now, I know there are warriors stronger than myself, and I plan to follow you until I become the strongest." she said as her battle worg trotted over and sat next to her.

Aedammair smiled as she walked closer to the orc woman. "I understand. I'll enjoy having another woman aboard." said the elf. Turning to look at the door, she then looked back at the warrior. "Dias said he was going to bed because of a headache. What happened?" she asked, causing the orc to laugh uproarously.

OoOoO

It was a week longer before the airship finally docked with the tower in the Forsaken encampment known as Vengeance Landing. Dias and Aedammair stepped onto the tower, the death knight running down the structure until her feet were planted firmly on the earth. Dias chuckled as himself, Vixxen, and Angel walked down after her and entered the forboding town.

The paladin looked around curiously at the odd buildings of the undead. They were modeled after the humans style, but almost every structure in the area was either dark grey or black, with an unusual Gothic look. "Charming people." he said.

"Forsaken are cynical by nature. They feel that the world around them should match how they feel inside." said the high elf woman as she walked with them towards the largest building. "So, who is in charge of this place?"

The troll walking next to her answered. "Warchief say dat Apothec'ry Lysanda be in charge." said Angel as she looked around the camp.

"Good, then our first stop is finding him." said the paladin as they all walked together. But as he looked around, the people moving about seemed rather anxious. "Anyone else think something bad is about to happen?" he asked.

They all looked around and noticed the tennants of the encampment moving around frantically and looking over their shoulders. Doors were slammed, windows were bolted shut, and most life disappeared from the small town. "I don't be likin' dis mon." said Angel as she scanned the area watched the last of the Forsaken shelter themselves inside. Suddenly, her ears perked. "What be dat?"

They all listened and heard the sound of rumbling coming towards them at high speeds. Dashing towards the sound, they were surprised to see a small army of Horde members gathered at the edge of the town. And beyond them was a wave of large human-looking barbarians charging for the small formation.

Dias immediately ran to gathering and up to the forsaken who was riding on an Undercity death charger. "We're looking for Apothecary Lysander!" he shouted over the din.

The undead looked at him with irritation. "The spineless bastard holed himself up when the attack was sounded. You won't be getting through to him until we deal with this problem. So, you can either draw that oversized pork sticker on your back and help us, or get the hell out of the way. We have few enough soldiers as it is without amateurs tripping up the ones who can actually fight." said the horseman as he turned back to the charging horde.

Dias growled and drew his sword as the others caught up to him. "What did he say?" asked Aedammair as she drew her axes. Behind her, Vixxen drew the sword and shield from her back with a wicked smile.

"He said that there was no way that elves like us could destroy that group alone." said Dias as he hid a smirk.

Aedammair was taken aback for a second, then growled angrily as she spun her axes in her hand rapidly. Catching the handles, she charged forward at the enemy with Dias close behind her. Vixxen laughed loudly and hurled herself into the air with a massive jump. Angel scratched her head in confusion.

The undead on the horse gaped at them oddly. "What the hell are they doing!? They're charging right into the fray, the fools!" he shouted. The front lines of the small formation began to move, but were immediately halted by the shrill sound of the forsakens voice. "Hold the line!" he shouted. "If they wish to die in battle, so be it. But our goal is to protect this landing. So none of you move an inch!"

"Dat be a cowardly ting you doin' mon. Bad mojo." said the troll next to him. The High Executor looked down at her with a glare.

"What the hell would you know?" he asked.

The barbarians at the front of the line slowed their pace slightly, surprised to see their foes running headlong at them. But only seeing two, they charged forth with renewed vigor, which was immediately short lived. As the two elves hit the front lines, blood began pouring onto the ground.

Dias' glowing blade carved through two of the attackers immediately, scattering their blood onto their own allies. He dove forward and thrust the sword into one of the larger humanoids throats, immediately silencing him before kicking his body off the blade.

Aedammair slashed with her death blades like they were her own hands, sending enemy body parts soaring into the air. Swinging in a circle, she buried one of her axes into the skull of one of the attackers, immediately throwing her hand forward and sending out her dark grip. The magical appendage grabbed onto an enemies head, ripping it clean off and sending it crashing into anothers face. Grabbing her axe again, she continued with her slaughter of the large band.

A few of the attackers looked up and saw something in the sky. Immediately aimed their long range weapons for the object, only to die seconds later as it crashed to the earth. Vixxen stood among them, her entire body flaming as her wild eyes looked at them. Everywhere she looked, she saw red. The attackers immediately around her were hurled outwards in all directions, their bodies immolated from the impact. The others who weren't trying to put flames out stepped back, unsure about attacking the newcomer. But soon, they didn't have any choice.

She flew forward and swung her flaming shield, smashing it across three of them, immediately lighting them on fire while her sword carved through their necks, sending their scorching heads rolling across the ground.

Dias swung his large sword in an arc around him, severing two of the large creatures weapon hands. Raising the weapon up, he planted it tip first into the ground and raised both hands into the air, leaving the blade buried in the earth. A hammer appeared in his hands as the enemy closed in on him, thinking him an easy target without the weapon. He gave a quick smirk before slamming the weapon onto the ground, sending a shockwave out that immediately smashed into those closest to him and sent them flying off into the crowd with several bones shattered. He raised the weapon above his head again, hurling it forward and letting it fly into the gut of one of the braver of the attackers, shattering the barbarians ribcage and sending it hurling backwards as the hammer disappeared.

Aedammair stood silently and watched the enemies around her close in slowly. They were being careful now, not approaching too fast lest they be the first to fall to her axes. But just as they got withing arms reach of the death knight, she slashed one of her palms open with her blade and planted her hand flat on the ground. The blood seeped into the earth, then suddenly the ground lit up with the red glow of the death knight runes. Any of the barbarians standing within the rune immediately began to scream and claw at their own skin. She smirked as their weapons clattered to the ground as they attempted to stop the change inside them, but it was to no avail. All within the radius of the circular rune on the ground soon after died with blood pouring from their mouths.

Vixxen now stood on top of a pile of bodies that she had immolated with her ragefire. Those around her raised their weapons to attack, but she was startlingly fast. Charging forward, she slammed her shield into one of the attackers faces, collapsing it. She spun around and slammed the edge of her shield into another of the barbarians throats, crushing it with sickening force and killing him. As one ran forward, she slashed through his weapon completely, as well as the arm holding it and sent the enemy to the ground. Raising her plated foot, she stomped on the enemy with a loud battle cry, the force not only rupturing the savages insides, but sending a massive shockwave forward that hurled the enemies away from her. "Yes!" she shouted with an evil grin as she charged forward for more.

"Uh...sir?" said an undead female in the second rank of the formation.

"What is it?" asked the High Executor as he looked at the troop.

"Ummm...sir, they're winning." said the soldier as she pointed out to the field. Anslem turned towards the raging battle and covered his eyes against the sun.

"By the Dark Lady..." he said as he saw the piles of corpses stacking up around the new fighters. Pulling his sword from its sheath on his side, he aimed it at the blood bathed battlefield. "Troops! Charge!" he shouted as his steed moved forward. The small army now ran across the field of battle and crashed into the invaders, inspired by the success of their new visitors. The battle only lasted a few minutes longer.

A small band of the surviving barbarians turned and ran from the carnage. A few of the soldiers went to give chase, but were stopped by the High Executor. He raised his hand high into the air, signalling the archers to draw their strings back. When his hand dropped, the arrows flew like hornets, catching their targets almost instantly. The entire army cheered loudly as they marched back towards Vengeance Landing with the newcomers at the front.

Immediately the High Executor began questioning them. "What exactly are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"We were sent by the Warchief to help you with training your soldiers, as well as taking Howling Fjord from the vrykul menace. We need this foothold if we are to move forward to Icecrown." said Vixxen as she clenched her hand tightly to her sword and shield, the bloodrage now slowly subsiding.

The undead smirked slightly. "He certainly chose his trainers well." he said to himself as he led them back to the small town. The people of the town were now back to their normal routine, as if the attack had never happened. "If you are looking for Lysander, the codger will be in that building down the stairs. Tell him to gather his rickety bones together long enough to do some actual work around here." said the High Executor as he trotted off past them.

OoOoO

Dalaran, the city of magic. There were few other places in the world as beautiful and comforting as the City of Magic. It is the home of many people of many races, as well as the Magus Senate, or the Council of the Kirin Tor as many know it. It was the beating heart for the mages and other magic users of the world.

One particular mage walked through the halls of the Violet Citadel. She was short in stature, unlike most of the tall, proud mages that walked around her on a daily basis. But she didn't let her size bother her. She was, admittedly by Rhonin himself, one of the most talented mages Dalaran had seen in ages. That wasn't a title given to many gnomes, but she wore it proudly.

As she ventured down the hallway, she adjusted the buns on the back of her head, making sure her hair was tied properly before entering her mentors chambers. Finally satisfied that she was in order, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." said a soothing voice behind the wooden portal. The gnome reached up and pulled on the iron ring, opening the door wide before entering and closing it behind her.

"You wanted to see me?" asked the young mage in a high pitched voice.

The human woman turned to the younger mage and smiled. "I did Lhalia."

"It wasn't for snacks again was it?" asked the girl curiously.

The human chuckled, as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "If I were to say yes, would you be disappointed?" asked the woman.

Lhalia shrugged. "Well, I was kinda hoping it would be more important...but..." she said as she drew a wand from under her blue cloak. Pointing at the table next to the woman, the wand came alive with magic, swirling around the tool mystically before shooting for the table and exploding into a cloud of dust after a few whispered words. Left behind from the explosion was a tray of small brownies that were cut into perfectly shaped stars.

The woman reached down and picked one up, smiling at the young girl. "In all my years, I've never been able to create any food that tastes as good as yours." she said before hastily eating the treat. The gnome blushed shyly and looked at the ground. "However, that wasn't the reason I called you here." she said after finishing the brownie. The young mage looked up immediately at the remark.

"You mean..." she asked, but her excitement didn't allow her to finish the statement.

The woman nodded. "I have an assignment for you." As the woman finished her sentence, the gnome immediately began jumping up and down in her glee. The woman chuckled again as the young girl regained her composure.

Running over to the Archmage, the gnome asked her hyperactively, "What is it!? What is it!?"

The woman place her hands on the young mages shoulders. "Calm down Lhalia. This is very serious business." she said, still smiling as her disciple nodded and took on a serious face. Turning to a water basin, she waved her hand over it, causing the surface to ripple. "First, tell me what you see." she said.

The young mage pulled a stool over to the table, then climbed on top of it so she could see into the crystal waters. Her eyes widened as she saw the reflection change to that of an elven boy. "I see...a blood elf?" she said questioningly.

"Look closer." said the Archmage. The gnome continued staring at the image. It changed from just the elven boy, to a scene of him fighting against an older elven man. The weapons, worn down and chipped, were obviously practice swords. Then she noticed something odd about the boy, his luminescent blue eyes.

"He's...not a blood elf. He's a high elf." she said as she continued watching. The next scene showed him much older, his long silver hair now past his shoulders. He wore similarly colored armor, with a large sword that carved through a giant undead creature. Her eyes locked onto him as light began radiating from his body. "He's a paladin..." she said as she watched him heal a young girl who had been severely injured. Then the scene changed again, and showed him in a very dark landscape, trapped within a cage made of dark magic. He was kneeling down, his head bowed as she watched him pray. Suddenly, he stood and grabbed the cage, his very touch discentigrating the magic that trapped him. She watched in awe as he grabbed the practitioner, helped by an elven woman, and finished him using only the power of the light. She gasped in awe.

The woman waved her hand over the water once more, settling the liquid and returning it to its placid state. "So, tell me what you saw." she said.

"He's a paladin..." she said, trying to translate her thoughts to words. "He's...a very skilled paladin. He accesses the Light as if he were created from it." she said finally.

The woman nodded. "You are correct. As was recorded by our scribes, paladins say that the Light is a comfort to them. It keeps them energized and healed, and has even been known to help them fight in battle. But this one, everytime he fights, he radiates with the power of the Light. We've never encountered anything like this before." she said.

Lhalia looked up at her mentor. "So, what is it you wish me to do Modera?" she asked curiously.

The woman looked down into the basin. "Our friend here is now in Northrend. He comes here to help in the fight against Arthas." she said, getting a nod from her student. "He is very strong for one so inexperienced, but he knows not what he walks into. I want you to go to where he is, and if you can, bring him here. If he doesn't wish to come, then stay with him and make sure he stays alive until we can at least figure out why his holy abilities are so strong. His abilities may be able to help us destroy the Lich King." she said.

"Where is he?" asked the girl.

"He is in a place called Vengeance Landing." said the woman, who then noticed the forboding look on her students face.

"That's...Horde territory isn't it?" asked the mage.

The Archmage nodded. "It is currently in the hands of the Sylvanas' Forsaken. But you are a member of the Kirin Tor. Both the Alliance and the Horde know of our status as neutral, and you won't be harmed."

The young gnome scratched her shocking blue hair. "Alright." she said, finally looking up with a smile. "I won't let you down!" she finished before turning and strutting out the door proudly.


	11. The Upper Hand

OoO( 11 )OoO

_Months Later..._

Howling Fjord was possibly the least brutal of the countries in Northrend. The green landscape and the hills all around gave the troops a sense of calm that was much needed in the wartorn landscape. The armies of the Lich King in the fjord, a race of giants known as the Vrykul, fought visciously against the Horde and Alliance defenders, both sides wanting to gain more ground on the doorstep of the continent.

But for the vrykul, the battle wasn't going well. The warriors from Vengeance Landing were now trained and fit for battle. With every week that passed, they pushed forward a little more, gaining more and more ground until they had pushed the barbarian race out of Giant's Run and Nifflevar. The entire east side of the fjord now belonged to the Horde.

At Dias' request, Apothecary Lysander had sent a messenger to the border of the Alliance's territory, requesting a truce between the two factions in order to defeat the menace. But he got a less than desirable answer. The messenger, an orc who had ridden to the border on a dire wolf, returned mountless and weaponless, with only bad news.

The chill wind of the plain blew across their backs as the undead Apothecary turned to the paladin. "At least we got our scout back." he said, his voice as sarcastic as it usually was with the high elf. He wasn't too thrilled with being bumped aside by the Warchief with these new recruits, and he was more than willing to let them know when they had failed. "I told you that they would never agree to such a thing. Now you've wasted three days that could have been spent advancing our armies." said the forsaken bitterly.

Dias smirked at the older undead man. "My friend, you wound me." he said with a hint of sarcasm. "I've been around long enough to know how deep the feud between the Alliance and Horde goes. Don't think me a fool old man." said the high elf as he scanned the landscape from their position on the top of a hill.

"So, you had a purpose for this foiled plot then?" asked the rotting apothecary.

"Of course there was." he said to the forsaken, who scoffed. The high elf smirked. Turning to the orc warrior who walked up behind him, he asked, "Have we gotten a reply from the Elder yet?" he asked.

Vixxen smiled widely and nodded. "He said he is willing to participate. As long as we get rid of their problem, we can inhabit their camps." said the warrior.

"Camps? What camps? What Elder? What's going on!?" shouted the forsaken in frustration.

At that time, the female death knight walked up to Dias with a smile of her own. "We're ready when you are." she said.

"Good, let's get moving." said the paladin as he walked away, leaving the former forsaken leader fuming at his own ignorance.

OoOoO

A few days had passed since Gautter had returned to camp. He had returned with little to no news about the movements of either the Horde, Alliance, or the Kal'uak. All three seemed to be at a stalemate in the fjord. None of that really mattered to him though. As long as he got his fill of food, beer, and women when he returned, he was just fine with his job.

Now however, it was time to go back out again. He had his few days when the next scout did their thing, and it was his turn again. Sighing reluctantly, he strapped on his camoflauge gear once more and set out at dusk. He pushed through the forestry immediately surrounding their camp and made for the coast of the small island they were on.

Almost as soon as he stepped out of the dense area, he felt a cord wrap around his throat. Struggle as he might against the loop, he wasn't able to break free. His vision was starting to blur rapidly as he vainly attempted to suck air into his lungs. Suddenly, as quickly as the attack happened, the cord vanished from around his neck. He fell to his knees gasping for air, when he was startled again by the cord being pulled into his mouth. His hands were gripped in an iron grasp, and tied behind his back.

He tried yelling, but the thick cord between his teeth muffled his cries. His captor threw him onto the ground a few feet from them, where he saw others like himself, bound and gagged in a line. Her recognized all of them as the other scouts that had duty tonight. His stomach immediately lurched at the thought.

"Tie him with the others." said a gruff feminine voice barely above a whisper. The human looked up to see a female orc with dark red armor standing before him, a dark smile on her face. A swarm of other figures in the darkness rushed past him towards the camp which he had come from.

The paladin stalked silently into the camp, avoiding the light from the fires burning on the ground from the previous nights antics. He looked around and noticed a bunch of the pirates had fallen asleep, drooling and snoring next to the fires, no doubt drunk from the kegs of grog that were now tipped over on the sand like floor. His blade still across his back, he stopped in the center of the camp, the night hiding him despite his shining armor.

Vixxen snuck up next to him in the darkness. Making a few arm movements, to her followers, the entire small army flooded the grounds, silencing anyone and everyone they crossed. The pirates, rutheless killers of the peaceful Kal'uak race, were tied up and gagged like the scouts. It wasn't long before the leader of the band was dragged out of his house, as well as two scantily clad women.

"What is the meaning of this!?" shouted the leader. His shouts immediately died however when he saw his entire band held hostage in front of him. Dias walked up to him with a smile on his face.

"Crowleg Dan is it?" he asked. Not getting a response, he continued. "You are now at the mercy of the Horde. Now, you have one of two options..." said the elf. He suddenly stopped, staring oddly at a woman nearby wearing a blood elf mask over her features. Reaching forward, he lifted the mask to see a human woman underneath it. "I...nevermind." he said, turning back to the pirate leader. "You have one of two options. We either kill every single one of your band right here and now and throw you all into the sea," he said, letting the thought linger in the minds of the pirate crew. Their panic stricken faces amused him momentarily. "or, you can face one of us one on one in combat. If you win, you and your crew go free."

The pirate looked at him with a glare. "And what if I lose?" he asked.

The high elf shrugged, a smile still on his dimly lit face. "You wouldn't be any worse off than getting gutted and used as fish bait by the tuskarr you've murdered." he said. The captain looked around at the attackers with a panicked expression. Both high elves, the orcs, the undead, the tauren, all of them looked like they'd rip him limb from limb without a thought. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the figure who had bent over the cooking pot in the center of the camp. The female cringed at the smell of it.

Turning to the elf with a smirk, the pirate asked, "I can pick anyone in your group to battle?" The high elf nodded, a bit confused by the look on the pirates face. "I pick her!" he said as he pointed to the female troll.

Angel looked over as he pointed at her. "You wanna fight wit me?" she asked.

Dias was about to step forward, but the pirate cut him off. "You said I could fight who I wanted! I chose her!" he shouted angrily. The troll smirked around her tusks as she walked over to the captain. She waved her hands at the two orcs holding the man, who then let him go.

"Angel, you don't..." said Dias, but the troll waved him to silence.

"I got dis mon. Dun be worried bout dis." she said as she slipped her hands into a pair of glove like devices on her back. Pulling her hands up, she now wore a pair of gauntlets, feathered and studded with metal on her hands. "You be choosin da wrong she beast ta dance wit human." she said. The pirate looked at her cautiously and drew his sword.

Brandishing the weapon, he stepped forward and swung the blade at her. She tilted her upper body to the side, easily dodging the blade. Standing upright again, she still didn't move. The pirate swung his sword again, and the troll bent backwards at an unbelievable angle before righting herself again in the same stance. The pirate, humiliated at his inability to hit the troll in front of his own crew began to swing the sword wildly at her.

She dodged back and forth, her feet not moving from where she originally planted them. "Gotta do betta dan dat mon." she said mockingly, her smile now wicked as her eyes alit with the fire of battle. Dan raised his sword high into the air, swinging down to try and cleave the female in two. But he was stunned by a swift kick from the blue skinned woman to his chin. He flew back and hit the ground, his jaw aching madly. As he stood again, he saw the troll with her foot still in the air where it had impacted him.

"Stupid wench!" he yelled as he charged with his weapon once more. She swung herself in a circle as he swung his sword again. This time, she moved. Grabbing his sword arm in her strong grip, she sent a punch into his elbow, shattering it to rubble and causing him to drop the weapon. He danced around screaming in pain for a few seconds before she finally went on the offensive.

Dashing forward, the red haired troll swung at him, her fists now alive with electricity. As soon as it contacted his stomach, he felt jolts of pain shoot through his entire body. He stumbled back, his lungs no longer responding. She shot forward again, throwing the elemental punches into his gut and across his jaw with amazing speed. She lowered her fist and yelled something in Zandalari that nothing but the trolls themselves understood. Her fist lit with fire and she soared upwards, her fist contacting his chin once more and shattering it as a trail of fire followed her spiral into the air.

He hit the ground with enough force to shake the earth as she landed on her feet. She walked towards him with a smile, his face now broken and beaten beyond recognition. He got to his knees, pulling a dagger from behind his back as a last attempt to take her down. She laughed loudly at the pitiful attempt. "I give ya credit basha, ya be no coward." she said. She launched herself forward onto her hands, her legs flying forward and locking around his neck. He dropped the weapon and grabbed her legs in an attempt to break free. But everyone in the camp knew the fight was over when a loud _snap! _was heard echoing across the grounds.

Flipping back onto her feet, the troll snorted and brushed the sand from her clothes, then turned back to the small army. Dias, as well as the others looked at her with surprise.

"Wut ya be surprised about mon?" she asked, her hands now on her hips.

"And they call you Angel?" asked Dias curiously. He raised his hands with a nervous smile as she glared at him. "Just...joking..." he said.

She walked past him, taking her gloves off and placing them on the belt behind her back once more. The pirate crew looked at ther captain, who now sat knees first in the sand with his head twisted at an awkward angle that was uncomfortable to even look at. Some of them moaned in despair, thinking this meant their death sentence.

Aedammair stepped towards them, both her palms on the butts of her axes as she spoke loudly to the army. "Chain them all together." she said.

OoOoO

Captain Adams had just awoken in the keep at Westguard. He woke up in a fowl mood, as he did most days. When he rose, he had washed himself and donned his armor as usual, then walked the grounds of the keep to get a grasp on the happenings of the night. But this morning was unusual, which wasn't to his liking.

As soon as he was out the door, a wall guard had run up to him with news from the front gate. He sighed in irritation as the guard relayed the news to him. "Sire, we have about two score prisoners in the brigg." said the guard.

The dwarf was stunned at first, but shook it off. "Where did they come from?" he asked urgently.

"They stumbled up to the gate of the hold, already bound together. We don't know where they came from, or what they were doing. They just came up to the gate and waited until we let them in." he said.

The hairs on the back of the captains neck now stood on end. "Bring one of them to me immediately." he said as he headed towards one of the walls. He stood looking over the landscape towards the edge of their territory as he waited. It wasn't long before the guard had returned to him with one of the captives. The captain turned towards the prisoner and grabbed the man by the coller of his shirt. "Where the hell did ya come from?" he asked.

"S-Scalawag Point..." said the prisoner uneasily. The dwarf, his face now a mask of shock, immediately dropped the man.

"The island ya say?" he asked. The man nodded. Rushing along the wall of the keep, he pulled a small tool from his belt. Stopping at the south west point on the wall, he pulled the spyglass up to his eye and looked towards the isle that the former pirate spoke of. There was a large smoke cloud billowing from their previous camp. Turning the glass toward the next island, he immediately gritted his teeth at what he saw. In the glass stood a high elf paladin, tall and stoic with his sword tip buried on the sand and his hands resting on the butt of the weapon. But the most infuriating part was that the elf was smiling directly at him. The dwarf pulled the eyeglass away and hurled it into the ocean.

The guard ran up to him as he threw the object into the water. "Sir?" he asked.

"Cheeky bastard." was the only thing that the dwarf said before storming off towards the keep.


	12. The United Factions

OoO( 12 )OoO

A chill wind blew over the barren plain as two small groups stared at each other from across an invisible border. On one side stood the paladin. Behind him were the death knight, the orc warrior, and the High Executor, as well as a few members of the Horde army they had stationed in the fjord. On the other was the dwarf and his valet, as well as a few of the commanders from Westguard Keep.

Dias sat atop a large horse with his arms crossed, a slight smile on his face. His plan had worked, and he had gotten the audience he wanted. Now, he just needed to talk to the captain himself. Seeing the dwarf riding over to the border, he grabbed the reins of his mount and followed suit. Soon, the two were staring each other down with only the border between them.

After a few moments, the dwarf finally spoke. "Gimme one reason why I should'na jes blast ya and yur Horde off those islands." said the Captain agitatedly.

Dias dropped his cheerful mood immediately. "Let me inform you Captain that I've seen inside your walls. I know there is no room on the back wall for cannons. And even your archers wouldn't be able to hit us from that far." said the elf as his luminescent blue eyes locked onto the dwarfs.

"Is tha' right?" asked the dwarf as he turned his mount to the side. "And what about snipers?"

Dias shrugged at the dwarf. "If you want to play a game of who holds more swing on that side of your base, a catapult would more than put you in your place." he said. Captain Adams immediately growled. "You've suffered as many attacks from the vrykul as we have. You can't watch your back and front at the same time with the number you have stationed there, and it would be easy enough to send a boulder flying into that south wall of yours. I imagine the vrykul wouldn't have a very hard time finding a way in then, would they?" asked the elf.

The dwarf captain growled as his teeth grinded together. "Listen here ya little pup...!" he shouted, but Dias' shout cut him off.

"Enough!" shouted the paladin. The dwarf was surprised into silence. "I'm not here to fist fight over who has better ground. I came here to make a deal with you. Now, are you going to listen or not?" he asked forcefully.

The dwarf, surprised by the courage of one so young, nodded. "What do ya want then?" he asked.

"I want a truce between us. We both stand to lose just as much as the other against the vrykul if we are conquered. And once one of us is out of the way, how long do you expect to last when the giants have all the territory the Horde is currently in control of?" he said. "From one paladin to another, we need to come together and get rid of the Lich King's forces. Once Utgarde Keep has fallen, I will be gone from the fjord, and you can dispute who owns what with whomever the Warchief decides to leave behind then."

"And why should ah trust a member o' the Horde?" asked the dwarf, who was now stroking his silver beard curiously.

Dias smiled as he responded. "Because, I'm not a member of the Horde." he said, getting a curious glance from the captain. The elf pointed to the emblem carved into the silver chestplate that he wore. "I represent the Argent Crusade, from Light's Hope. I am here to destroy the Lich King, and remove the darkness he has cast on the world. Nothing more."

Captain Adams stayed silent for a few moments before speaking. When he did, the elf could tell he seemed to be in better spirits. "Alright boyo, ya got yur truce. As long as your Horde doesn't make any moves against my men, you'll get the same courtesy." he said, getting a nod from Dias. "Oh, and elf..." he said, his tone darkening. "If you betray me, by the Light Ah'll hunt you to the ends of Azeroth." With that, the captain turned and rode back towards his own escort.

Dias turned his charger around and rode back to the others with a smile on his face. "Well, that went better than expected." he said as the small band started riding once more. "They are willing to work with us, so we won't get a sword in the back when we try to take Utgarde."

High Executor Anslem snorted. "I wouldn't count on it. Those Alliance are trecherous. I wouldn't trust 'em as far as I could throw 'em."

"I don't know. He's a dwarf, you could probably throw him pretty far." said Aedammair, causing the entire band to laugh loudly as they rode for the new camp they had set up, New Agamand.

OoOoO

As soon as the group arrived at New Agamand, the paladin's spine began to tingle at what he saw. All around the camp were wooden machines with glass cores, filled with an eerie green liquid. He dismounted the horse he rode and walked up to one of them.

"What is this?" he asked as he stared into the green mass.

Anslem rode up to him on the death charger, surprise in his voice as well. "Those are a type of catapault, used for spreading biological contageans on the battlefield." he said as he dismounted and looked at the device. "I didn't think we'd be using these here."

As soon as the High Executor finished his statement, Apothecary Lysander strode up to them proudly. "I see you've discovered my greatest creation." he said smugly.

Dias, still facing the war tool, turned his head to the forsaken. "And what exactly is the purpose of this machine?" he asked.

"It hits the battlefield with the plague that I created, killing anything within a hundred yards of the impact!" said the Apothecary excitedly. "We could easily use this to wipe both the Vrykul and the Alliance from Howling Fjord!"

Suddenly, everyones attention was grabbed by the shriek of the high elf death knight. "What the hell is this!?" she shouted. Dias walked over to where she was standing and his eyes widened.

She stood at the edge of a pit dug into the ground, half full of the green ooze that was contained in the vials. Hanging above the pit was a wooden cage that held a fiery haird young dwarf inside it. The dwarf held onto the bars of the cage, coughing loudly from the fumes that were assaulting him from below. The high elfs eyes locked onto a crane mechanism at the edge of the pit that was used to lower and raise the cage as the pilot saw fit.

Dias turned around, fire in his eyes as he looked at the forsaken. "What is the meaning of this Lysander?" he asked in a deadly tone.

The forsaken took a step back. "When testing the effectiveness of such concoctions, there must be test subjects. Or else we can't..." he said. He was cut off immediately as the paladin rushed forward and grabbed the old forsakens head and slammed him against the war machine.

"Destroy all of them. I don't want any of these machines within my sight by noon!" shouted the elf before turning back to the struggling forsaken. Aedammair had already thrown the former operator out of the crane and released the cage onto firm ground. Dias glared at the Apothecary darkly. "You are a disgrace to this army." he said.

"B...But, my lord, I..." he said, then let out a loud shriek as Dias' gauntleted hand lit up with power.

"If I see this cowardly dishonorable plague in our camps again, you'll be praying that the Dark Lady saves you from my wrath." he said, then threw the undead aside. Lysander covered his burnt face as soon as he hit the ground. The army immediately began to disassemble the machines as the paladin walked towards the caged dwarf.

Taking his sword off his back, he slashed through the wood, allowing the young soldier to stumble out of the trap. Though he was free, the dwarf was still wary of his captors. He crawled backwards as the high elf approached him.

"Easy friend, I mean you no harm." said the paladin as he held forward a canteen of water. Though still suspicious, the bearded young man took the waterskin and drank deeply from it. When he finished, he eyed the elf cautiously.

"What are ya plannin' to do with me?" he asked before giving a loud cough.

Aedammair approached with a horse following her. "Here, take this." she said, handing the bridle to the dwarf.

He looked at them stupidly. "You're letting me go?" he asked.

"Take the horse, and the water. Ride back to your master and tell him what has happened here." said the paladin. The dwarf looked at them silently for a moment before nodding. Jumping up onto the saddle, he kicked the horses sides and sped off towards Westguard Keep.

OoOoO

Days had passed since the treaty with the Alliance forces in the fjord. All of the plague launchers had been disassembled, and all of the contagean was burned until there was nothing left of the viral substance. The camp had settled down from the previous battles.

Dias was inside one of the buildings, sitting at a table with Aedammair and Anslem, discussing the tactics of approaching Utgarde. The place was literally a fortress, made to stand against the mightiest of armies. Launching an assault on the front gates would accomplish little.

Vixxen decided to instead go on a stroll with a small pack of edibles. She often found herself walking and enjoying nature of late, especially here. She had spent most of her life in Razor Hill, a small settlement of orcs based in the center of the desert. She was trained in the arts of war by her father, and weapons by her mother. There wasn't much time for her to go out and experience the world. Even when she had left Razor Hill for the bigger city of Orgrimmar, it was still in the middle of the desert.

Now though, she was free to roam here and there in her free time. And she took every opportunity she could to go into the wilderness and see what she had missed. She strode out into a wooded thicket, sitting down heavily next to a large tree and pulling out her pack of supplies. She opened the bag and retrieved herself a meager meal of dried shoveltusk meat. Closing her eyes, she took in the scent of the forest as she ate her meal.

About halfway through her flank of meat, she opened her eyes suddenly. Continuing her chewing, she let her eyes roam around the wooded area curiously. When she finally finished her meal, the muscular woman stood and stretched herself. Feeling her muscles respond by loosening up, she reached down and picker her sword and shield up. Immediately, she hurled her shield into the wood of a nearby tree.

The gnome sitting on the branch gasped in surprise as the metal plate snapped the twig beneath her feet, sending her flailing to the leafy earth. She fell right on her rear end, but got up quickly, pulling her staff off her back. But the orc was quick, much quicker than she had anticipated. Aiming the staff at the large woman, Lhalia muttered a few words and her weapon lit up with arcane magic before firing off four identical missiles.

The warrior scooped her shield up from the ground and raised it in time to catch most of the blasts. One made it past the small round shield and hit her in the stomach though, sending her tumbling backwards. Quickly, she was on her feet again and charging for the gnome.

Lhalia squeeked in surprise at the swiftness of the rebound, then immediately began chanting again in a raised voice. The missiles came more and more, smashing against the warriors shield. This time however, they only seemed to deflect off her rounded plate. Smiling at an idea that formed in her mind, she changed spells and began casting fireballs.

The orc continued to proceed slowly forward, deflecting the fiery blasts. Soon, she began to feel the metal shield against her skin begin to burn. Stealing a quick glance, she saw the metal front of her protection was glowing red with heat. Growling, she deflected another fireball.

The young mage smirked at the look on the orc womans face. Her plan was working. She'd never be able to make it to her before that shield burned through her arm. But the orcs next move startled her. The muscular woman deflected one last blast before hurling herself into the air and completely over her next fireball. Her large eyes looked up in horror at the green warrior, a mad grin on its face, cannonballing straight for her. She focused quickly and blinked out of the way just as the warrior crashed down, causing two of the trees around her to lean in opposite directions from force.

The orc looked up from her crater with an almost fanatical smile, her scorched arm no longer on her mind. The gnome backed up in terror at the sheer ferocity of the woman in front of her. Vixxen sprinted forward with her shield and sword poised, ready to strike. The young mage watched her dash with incredible speed and could only stand there as she closed in on her prey. Finally, the orc was on her, and Lhalia's instinct kicked in. She closed her eyes tightly and shouted her next spell out loud. She felt the air cool around her, but kept her eyes closed in case it hadn't worked.

When nothing happened for a few seconds, she opened one eye slightly. She opened them both in horror at what she saw. Her spell had worked, the orc was frozen in a block of ice. But the warriors blade was no more than a hairs breadth from her skull. With her eyes still wide in shock, she stepped out of the way of the orc womans weapon, her heart beating madly. She closed her eyes, sighing in relief as her heartbeat slowed.

But a few seconds later, it skyrocketed again as she heard a loud cracking, and felt a strong hand grab her by the back of her neck.

OoOoO

After finally agreeing with the High Executor on a solid, non-suicidal plan, the high elf decided to take a long needed bath. After lighting the fire, he began to disrobe, taking his not so shiny silver armor off. Leaving it all in a pile next to the entrance to the wash room, he let his hair down and stepped into the heated water inside the metal tub.

The added feature was much appreciated by the elf. He knew that it was added for those like himself. Most of the forces in Howling Fjord were Forsaken, who paid little attention to such trivial things as bodily hygiene. He sat back in the metal container and let the hot water soothe his muscles as he relaxed.

But it wasn't long before he was snapped out of his dream state. His elongated ears perked at the commotion starting outside. He could hear someone arguing near the front gate of the camp, but hearing any specific words were beyond even his abilities. It didn't matter, as long as it didn't involve him. However, he was soon aware that he was going to be disturbed by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

He sighed heavily as he sat up in the tub, not wanting to expose himself to the world. Soon, Vixxen stomped into the room with a small figure tied up in her hand. His glowing eyes scanned the small figure. A gnome, definitely not a vagrant considering the type of robes she wore. The question now is why was she restrained, and why did Vixxen carry her around like a head of lettuce.

"What is it?" asked Dias.

"I found an Alliance spy out in the woodlands." said the orc woman as she tossed the young mage forward. The gnome was completely restrained, and could only roll forward on the stone floor where she was tossed. She looked over at the tub where she saw a high elf. As soon as her eyes scanned him, she knew she had found her target.

When the words hit him, the paladin stood up furiously. "What!?" he shouted angrily. "We had a truce!" he said. As he was looking at the gnome, he saw her immediately turn red and slam her eyes closed. Looking over at Vixxen, he noticed a curious grin on her face. "Dammit...take her outside." he said as he sank shamefully back into the water.

The orc woman chuckled and grabbed the gnome again and hauled her back up the stairs. Dias sighed and stood again once they were gone. Walking over to his armor, he dried himself and began strapping it back on. "Never a moment of peace." he said mournfully.

OoOoO

Dias stepped outside into the sunlight with a dark look on his face. Looking around, he noticed the orc sitting with the gnome next to her by the windriders. Walking with a purpose, he made his way straight for them.

When he stopped, he immediately turned to Vixxen. "I would prefer it if nobody were to know what just happened..." he said. He immediately noticed as she smiled widely, sighing to himself. "You already told her didn't you?" he asked.

"Every detail." said the warrior, who laughed loudly as the paladin slapped his own forehead.

Pushing the embarrassing moment from his mind, he turned to the gnome. "So, you went for a walk through the forest, and found her out there?" he asked.

"She was in a tree, spying on me as I rested." said the orc as she looked at the gnome who now seemed to be staring at Dias.

"Everywhere you go, you seem to find someone to fight. Have you ever considered a hobby?" he asked curiously amused.

"I have a hobby. I take enthusiastic walks through the woods." she said chuckling as she stood. Looking back down at the small mage, she asked, "So, what should we do with her?"

Dias knelt down and looked her over once more. Immediately, his glowing blue eyes locked onto an emblem on the gnomes right shoulder. His eyes widened in realization. Quickly, he grabbed the rope that had been used to gag her and untied it.

"Be careful, she's a mage. Her words are as deadly as her hands." said Vixxen cautiously. Dias finally undid the cord, causing the girl to cough roughly and spit on the ground to get the taste out of her mouth.

"You aren't Alliance are you?" he asked her excitedly.

She shook her head. "No...I'm a mage from the Kirin Tor." she said. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt the ropes around her body cut loose. Raising her arms up in front of her, she flexed them slowly to get the circulation flowing once more.

"The Kirin Tor?" asked Vixxen. "The mage society?" she asked as she looked at the paladin.

He nodded. "They're a council of the strongest mages in the world, housed in Dalaran. They are neutral players in political society." he said. Turning back to the gnome, he asked, "Is there anything I can get you?"

She looked at him again, her eyes scanning him once more. Finally, once her fears that he was in any way ruthless were gone, she smiled sarcastically. "I could use a bath." Vixxen erupted into laughter as Dias' head sank again.


	13. Just the Beginning

OoO( 13 )OoO

The girl found herself in a dark place. She stood in halls of stone and iron, the fires of many hearths around her sending a dull orange glow casting around the room. Getting to her feet, she stumbled weakly forward, unable to figure out where she was. She had to be dreaming, but what was the purpose of this place?

She shuffled slowly forward, her shoulders throbbing with pain as she looked around for any sign of life or escape. She turned the corner into a doorway and walked down a hallway dimly lit by torches. As she walked past the doors on either side of her, she could hear the low groaning of someone in pain. Stopping at the door the sound was coming from, she pulled on the large iron ring.

The door creaked slowly open as she heaved. When she finally had it wide enough to fit through, she entered. What she saw horrified her. A man was hanging from the ceiling, his wrists bound by chains to the stone overhead. His legs dangled weakly just above the floor, wet with his own blood that poured from the lash marks across his shoulders.

On the right side of the man stood a giant figure holding a whip with many tails, each of the leathery strands with bone inlaid into them. The giant laughed loudly as he raised the whip again and slashed the weapon across the mans back. As soon as it made contact, the girl shrieked in pain as a fiery sensation roared across her shoulders. She fell to her knees and grabbed the spot on her back. She immediately pulled her hands back as she felt the spot was wet. Looking at her hands, she saw the blood and wanted to cry, but couldn't.

Looking back up at the scene before her, she saw the man react to the pain. He lifted his head in reflex, showing his long silver hair and pointed ears. Immediately the girl stopped breathing. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again. When she did, she saw herself looking through the eyes of the tortured man. His silver hair, wet with blood and sweat was flowing down to his chest. Looking up at her hands, she could see the chains cutting into her wrists deeply. Then, she looked forward and her horror was realized. The mirror in front of her reflected back the appearance she now bore, a high elf with silver hair and glowing blue eyes.

She saw the figure dangling in the mirror staring at her sadly with torment on his face. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and spoke. The face, the hair, and even the voice she recognized as the paladins. "Help...me..." he said, seconds before his head dropped again as he fell unconscious.

OoOoO

Immediately Synnaria woke in her bed. She sat up, cold sweat and tears running down her face as her mind raced through the images she had just seen. Grabbing the large blanket that covered her, she tore it off and dove immediately for the door.

She ran past anyone and everyone she saw. The bystanders eyed her curiously, unused to seeing a young girl running through the halls in her night dress. But none of that mattered. When she found the place she was looking for, she tore the door open and ran inside. Liadrin turned from the papers on her desk and looked at the girl curiously.

"Synnaria, why are you still in your night dress? Where are your clothes?" she asked. Almost immediately, the blood knight noticed the tears pouring from the girls eyes. "What is it? What happened?" she asked as she moved around the desk quickly and grabbed her to make sure she wasn't injured.

"I...I saw him..." said the girl through sobs.

The blood elf looked back up into her eyes. "Saw who?" she asked.

"I saw Dias...he was dying..." said the girl again, wiping tears from her eyes.

Liadrin took a step back oddly. "You saw him? Where?"

"I had a dream. He was chained up and being tortured!" she said breaking into fresh sobs. "Please, you have to go help him!" she shouted.

"Synnaria, it was just a dream." said the paladin as she held the girl close to her. "You just had a nightmare. Calm down, everything is alright." she said soothingly.

The young girl immediately shoved the woman off her. "Don't tell me it was a nightmare! I know what I saw!" she shouted loudly. "He was hanging there, tortured and dying!" she said furiously.

"Synn, you need to calm down..." said the paladin futilely.

The girl immediately turned away from the woman and opened the door again. "No! If you won't help him, then I will!" she shouted and stormed out the door.

Liadrin sighed and rubbed her forehead.

OoOoO

In New Agamand, Dias sat at a table inside one of the tents he had constructed for himself. He didn't much like the build of the forsakens construction. Inside the dark and forboding walls, he almost felt suffocated. So he had made himself a new area in the open air.

He sat at the small table and stared at the figure across from him curiously. She smiled at him, her large, almost gleaming eyes seeming to pierce through even the thickest of armor. Finally, he decided to break the silence. "So, why exactly were you spying on us?" he asked.

Lhalia pulled out her wand from her sleeve before mumbling quietly and creating a tray of small brownies. Taking one of them, she munched quietly before answering his question. "I wasn't." she said.

Dias sat back in his chair and eyed her oddly. "You weren't?" he asked. She shook her head, her electric blue pigtails wagging back and forth with the movement. "Then what were you doing?" he asked, his stomach getting the better of him. Reaching down, he grabbed one of the brownies.

After swallowing the last of the brownie, Lhalia smiled again and pointed at him. "I was spying on just you." she said. "When the orc found me, I was just resting."

"So, why are you spying on me?" he asked. He took a bite of the brownie, and almost as soon as he swallowed the small piece, he crammed the rest of it into his mouth and quickly grabbed another one.

She chuckled as she saw him wolf down the treats. "I was sent from Dalaran to retrieve you and bring you back to the Kirin Tor." she said.

"And what does the Kirin Tor want with me?" he asked as he swallowed another of the brownies.

"That's for them to tell you. My job is just to deliver you." she said as she made more of the treats, laughing as the paladin attacked them as well.

"So, why spy on me then?" he asked. "Why didn't you just come into the camp and ask for me?"

"I had no way of telling if you would attack me or not. I knew nothing about you. I had to make sure you weren't going to kill me on sight." she said. He nodded, still taking brownies from the tray as she continued. "And honestly, a gnome walking into a Horde base isn't exactly the brightest of ideas." she said.

Finally, finished with the pastries, the paladin sat back in his chair. "Yeah, I guess I didn't really consider that. So the Kirin Tor want me to come to Dalaran, and you have no information on why?" he asked.

"None that I can give." she said.

"Well, I'm honored, however until I finished my business here in the fjord, I won't be going anywhere." he said standing up.

She stood up with a shocked expression on her face. "How long will that take?" she asked.

"Not sure exactly, it could be a few months. Maybe even a year." he said. "As long as Utgarde Keep stands, I'm not leaving."

"But...but..." she said urgently, however a loud shout from outside got both of their attention. They both ran from the tent to see an orc dashing towards them, a look of panic on his face. Dias stood in his path, but before he could even question him, the orc shouted a word that sent chills down his spine.

"D-Dragons!" yelled the orc. Dias looked at him wide eyed for a moment, then looked off into the distance. Approaching the camp at high speed were scaley armored creatures, all of them with large leathery wings carrying them.

Immediately, Dias shouted. "To arms! Another attack!" The entire camp armed up and stood outside as the serpentine creatures flew overhead. As one flew over their heads, it let out a jet of fire that scorched the ground across the camp, incinerating anything that got in its way. The paladin grabbed the sword from over his shoulder as he growled.

The High Executor rode up next to Dias, shouting over the screams and roars around them. "We aren't prepared for dragons!" he yelled angrily.

"Have everyone retreat back to Nifflevar! Get anyone with enough range to take them down backing you up!" said the high elf.

"We're retreating!?" asked the forsaken general.

Dias turned to him with a look that immediately killed the undeads tone. "You have my orders Executor. Take the men and regroup at Nifflevar. We have ballista stationed there that would make short work of them!" shouted the paladin. Anslem turned on his steed and charged for the frantic ranks that were forming on the other side of the camp. Turning around again, he stabbed his sword in the ground. Holding his hands together, a hammer of Light formed in his hands.

Next to him, Lhalia pulled the staff off her back and began hurling magic bolts towards the oncoming enemies. She fired another volley of magic off, the missiles smashing into one of the flying creatures and sending it to the ground crippled. Dias spun quickly and hurled the hammer towards another of the foes.

The glowing weapon smashed into its wing, sending it spiraling towards the ground, where it collided with one of the stone structures of the forsaken. It fell to the ground, it's head lolling to the side as the giant that had been on its back crawled away from the corpse. Dias walked over to the vrykul with his sword in his hand and ended the savages struggles with a quick stab through its throat.

Aedammair, along with Anslem and Vixxen, had pulled the group of frantic orcs together and began rushing them out the back gates of the city. She turned, ready to protect the retreating party. But it wasn't long before she realized that the dragons seemed to ignore the formation. Moving forward, she death gripped one of the giants off the mount and slammed him to the ground hard enough to crush his bones to gravel.

She then turned to the dragon, both axes drawn as the proto beast roared loudly. She roared back at it, chilling the air and freezing the creature near solid. She ran forward and hurled both axes, sending the keen blades into the beasts shoulders so it couldn't fly off. As the death knight reached the now half frozen creature, she grabbed its head and wrenched with all her might, howling louder and covering the beast in more ice. Eventually, her combined strength and the weakening ice met. She tore the dragons head clean off and slammed it to the ground.

Grabbing her axes again, she prepared for more. But once more she was startled that the flying savages seemed to pay her no mind. But it became clear as she saw the fire further west in the camp. The only place that the dragons had scorched and set ablaze was the land surrounding the two warriors that were now facing off against them. She sped forward, but could only get so close to the fire without being burned.

"Dias! You need to get out of there!" she shouted over the din of battle. The paladin looked over at her questioningly. "They came for you!" she shouted louder. The high elf dodged a fireball before throwing his shining blade, sending it tip first into the rider of one of the dragons. The giant fell from its mount, leaving the beast to get caught by Lhalia's arcane magic. The serpent was torn to pieces in a matter of seconds by the hail of arcane assault.

Finally, the paladin noticed the ring of fire seperating him from the rest of the camp. Aedammair tried finding an opening in the barrier, but the fire was magical. It wouldn't let her anywhere near it without turning whatever it touched to ash. Anslem rode up to the death knight, his face a mask of uneasiness. "Aedammair, we have to go. They have reinforcements coming, and without..." he said, but she cut him off.

"Go to hell Executor! I'm not leaving them here!" she shouted.

"Yes you are!" shouted the paladin. As soon as she heard the words, she spun around and glared.

"No!" she shouted, shooting her death grip forward to him. But the dragonfire immediately demolished the spell, leaving her speechless.

"Get out of here now!" shouted the paladin as he glared back at her. "They need you to lead the soldiers! I'll meet up with you eventually!" he said, knowing he wouldn't be leaving the camp so easily.

Aedammair tried to think of something else, but Anslems hand grabbed her shoulder. "Please...he knows what he is doing." said the undead commander. Aedammair hesitated again, but eventually, she jumped onto the back of the forsakens horse.

"Dammit Dias, you come back to us alive or I'll track you down and kill you again!" she shouted as she used her death grip to jerk an entire dragon down into its own fire.

The paladin nodded with a smirk on his face. Anslem's horse spun quickly and bolted off for the edge of the camp. One of the dragons veered off from the attack to try and finish the two fleeing. Aedammair covered her face as she turned on the galloping skeletal charger to get a better view of the enemy following them.

The creature shot a jet of fire that was slowly catching up to them. She covered her eyes again as the flames moved closer, but caught sight of something as they rode by. She immediately recognized the handle of the paladins sword, its blade sunk halfway through a vrykuls chest. Reaching out, her shadowy grip tore the weapon from its prison and shot towards her.

The giant never even saw the blade coming as it cut through his leg and the dragons wing, sending them both into the inferno they had created. The death knight caught the blade and looked at the battlefield that was shrinking behind her. Despite technically being considered undead, she felt truly cold for the first time.

OoOoO

"What the hell are we going to do?" asked the small figure behind him. The paladin watched as more dragon mounted giants soared around them. But, as Aedammair had implied, they weren't killing him.

"I don't know. I think they may want to take us alive." said the high elf as he knelt down to the ground, his muscles sore from the struggle. Suddenly, a heavy net weighted with stones shot from above wrapped around Lhalia as she got closer to him, knocking her senseless and causing her to fall to the ground. "Lhalia, no!" he shouted as he dashed for her. But he was quickly subdued as well as one of the dragons flew down and stomped him flat with its monstrous foot. Though it easily caused him pain, the pressure wasn't hard enough to break anything.

He laid on the ground, panting heavily as he watched a giant walk up and grab the net with the senseless gnome inside it. Reaching out, he growled at the vrykil, his hand charging with holy energy. But he fell unconscious soon after as the heavy end of the riders club crashed against his skull. All was now darkness in his world.

OoOoO

The sun began to sink behind the horizon of Silvermoons glorious surrounding forests as its people began to wind down after a hard days work. Though many of the citizens decided to relax after the shining glory had vanished, one such creature was still anxious as she watched the young girls door.

Earlier that day, the young blood elf had threatened to leave Silvermoon to go searching for the lost paladin. However, she seemed to have not even left her room. The blood knight leader slowly approached the door, tapping lightly on its surface.

"Go away." came a snap from inside. Liadrin smiled at hearing the girls voice.

Despite the girls yell, she opened the door and slid inside, closing it behind her. "Synn, you haven't even eaten today. You've stayed in your room this whole time. Aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"I don't want to eat anything." snapped the girl again. She sat on the bed hugging her legs, the room around her dark with the night.

Liadrin walked to her bedside and sat next to her, wrapping her arm around the girls shoulders and pulling her close. Despite the warming action, the young blood elf stayed rigid and unmoving. "Synnaria, it was just a dream." she said as she looked down at the worried green eyes that just stared out the window. "If it makes you feel better, I will send word to Thrall that you want a letter from your paladin." she said with a smile.

Synnaria looked up at her, some of her gloom seemingly gone. "Really? You can do that?" she asked almost excitedly. Liadrin nodded to the girl, now rubbing her arm gently.

"If that's what you want me to do, I will. But first, you have to eat and sleep." she said holding her hand out to the young girl.

Synn looked at her hand, then back up to the paladin, trying to detect any lies. But after a moment, she took the womans hand and shook it. "Alright."

"Good, I'll have dinner sent here since it's so late." she said to the girl, only getting a nod in return. Standing up, the woman left the room, her mood having highly improved.

Synn watched as Liadrin stood up and left her room. She gave her one last smile as the woman closed the door behind her, then she bolted from the bed and yanked a ruck sack out from underneath it. Opening the bag, she pulled out all the items, making sure she had remembered everything.

She was startled after a few minutes by a knock on the door. "W-Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me, Eli'danis. I have your dinner." said a male from the other side of the door.

"Uhhh...please, leave it at the door. I'm not quite...dressed." she said.

"As you will. It'll be waiting here when you're ready." said the blood elf as he sat the tray down and walked away from the door. Synn rapidly checked the dagger given to her by Zandine, a hunter she had befriended during a visit to the Rangers' Lodge. After checking her food supplies, map self made map of Lordaeron, and her gold pouch, she stuffed everything back into the ruck and slid it down beside the bed and out of sight.

She crept over to the door, slowly opening it and peeking out to see if anyone was in the hallway. However, Eli'danis, true to his word, had left her alone to eat her meal. She pulled the tray into the room, quickly wolfing down the small salad. One of Liadrins rules, never eat too much before sleeping, else you wake up looking like a tuskarr...whatever that was. When she finished, she pulled her cloak from the rack next to her door and threw it on, donning the hood to hide her face. Once she had gathered everything she needed, she slipped quietly over to the window, opening it softly and slipping out into the night.

Luckily for her, most of Silvermoon's citizens vanished into their homes after sundown. She didn't encounter a single life form on the way to Sunfury Spire. There was a small problem once she had arrived though. She didn't expect to find Lorthemar talking with a large, tauren Dias had called them, wearing plate armor inside the antechamber.

Lorthemar chuckled as he spoke to the tauren. "Yes, we've had a bit of trouble with the warlocks in the Sanctum. Every other day it seems some new demon escapes the nether and rampages down the streets."

"That doesn't seem very wise. While they aren't the demons we've fought before, they could eventually pull up something that isn't as easy to take down." said the tauren in a gruff voice.

"True, but I've taken measures against it. I have seals all over their entire building. If a demon tries to leave the building now, they'd have to break through the seals. Something that none save Kil'Jaeden himself is probably capable of."

"Then what of the warlocks?" asked the tauren curiously as he scratched his chin.

"They summoned it. If they didn't want the risk of being...stepped on by their own creatures, then they should take up a new hobby." said Lorthemar as his good eye shifted to the door. Despite her best efforts, his battle hardened senses had spotted her immediately.

The tauren laughed loudly at the blood elves remark. He was about to comment once more, but his own senses alerted him. He sniffed deeply and turned his large head towards the girl that was sneaking along the wall. Thinking her a spy, he reached for the large mace at his side. However, Lorthemar quickly grabbed his furry wrist, holding the weapon in place. "Don't worry about her, she's no rogue."

"Smelled her easily enough, and she isn't even doing that good a job at sneaking. What is she doing?" asked the tauren, both of them staying quiet enough so that the sneaking figure couldn't hear them.

"I'm not sure, however to stop her would be to do her an injustice." said the Blood Elf leader as he watched the girl slip into the inner chamber of the spire, where the Translocation Orb lie in wait. "Regardless, we should send word to her caretaker." he said.

OoOoO

Synn had finally gotten past the two friends chatting in the center of the antechamber, and now made her way up the winding ramp to the large glowing orb sitting atop the room. Her eyes widened as she approached it. Liadrin had taught her about it when they had come to the spire. Now, she was going to use it to get out of the city, and to the place she knew she could find help in her quest.

Reaching up, she placed her palm on the orb. In seconds, the magic from the crimson colored globe swallowed her, causing the room around her to vanish. Instead, it was replaced with dull, grey castle walls, and a blanket of stars high above her head. Looking around at her surroundings, she saw the remains of Lordaeron all around. There was no roof anywhere to be seen. Just empty broken walls. She hugged her cloak closely to her as the wind picked up slightly. Grabbing the straps of her haver sack, she headed into the doorway of the forsaken Undercity, vanishing into the darkness.


	14. The Coalition

OoO( 14 )OoO

"How is it going?" echoed an icy voice in the halls of Undercity.

The undead practitioner stood straight when he heard the voice. Immediately, he spun around and bowed his head. "My Lady, the plague is as effective as ever." he said, trying to hide the fact that she had startled him.

"If it's so effective, then why do we have it stockpiled here in the city? Why haven't the containers been sent to the fjord for use?" asked the Dark Lady as she crossed her arms.

The apothecary looked up at her, his attitude changing slightly, figuring he possibly couldn't hold the blame for this situation. "We had already sent two ships worth to the new front of the battle. But according to Apothecary Lysander, Thrall had sent his own team to the fjord to help with the troops."

Her scarlet eyes locked onto his pale yellow, sending chills down his spine. "And what does this team have to do with our plague?" she asked, her words almost striking him physically.

Bowing his head rapidly, he responded, his voice almost panic. "We had sent the machines to the very front of the battle. But when the paladin on this team had found out that we intended to use the plague, he attacked Lysander and had all the equipment burned!" he said.

Sylvanas' eyes opened wide. "And Anslem and Lysander let that happen?" she asked.

"The paladin threatened Lysander's life, and as far as I know Anslem did nothing to stop him." said the forsaken almost pleadingly.

She glared at the underling and turned away from him. "Get to work preparing the next shipment to the fjord. I'll be going with it this time anyway. I'll make sure nothing happens to it this time." she said as she left the chamber.

"Yes milady." said the undead, before turning back to his table and frantically scribbling down a message.

Sylvanas walked down the dark, damp hallway beneath Lordaeron. She came to the doorway, which led to an underground marketplace. They didn't have a lot to offer, but the wares of the undead brought a few select customers back constantly. She walked along the pathway lining the wall, the bright glow of the river of poison lighting the area up.

She stopped however when one of her advisors walked up to her. "What is it?" she asked.

The undead woman, her long hair spiked in the back, stopped and bowed slightly at her mistress. "One of the guards found an intruder entering the city."

"So kill them." she said, continuing to walk. The undead woman walked with her, her dark robes almost blending in with the gloom around her.

"He was going to, but she is a Blood Elven child. And she said she had something to give you." said the woman.

Sylvanas turned to the woman and looked at her curiously. "You would not have told me this if it were meaningless. So, you've seen it then Corvelia?" she asked. The forsaken woman nodded. "Alright. If you think it to be important, then have her meet me in my chambers." said the Dark Queen before turning and walking away again. The woman simply bowed, then vanished into a cloud of dark smoke.

OoOoO

It had only taken ten minutes before the Dark Queen heard a knock on her door. "It's open." said the Banshee Queen before turning. The door opened and in walked a small figure shrouded in a cloak, as well as Corvelia. After the forsaken woman had closed the door, the queen spoke up. "Who are you, and why have you come to my city?" she asked.

The young girl pulled her hood down, allowing her long blonde hair to spill out. She looked at the undead queen, her heart beating miles a minute. "I...I am Synnaria Snowsong...of Silvermoon City." she said as her hands fidgeted nervously.

"Why are you here?" asked Sylvanas, her red eyes scanning the girl curiously.

"I need to go to Northrend." the girl said bluntly.

The dark lady tilted her head oddly. "Northrend is a giant battleground right now. Why would you want to go there?"

The girl looked at the ground. "Someone very important to me went to Northrend to fight. He left almost a year ago now, and I have this feeling that something happened to him."

"And you want to go and check on him?" asked Corvelia from behind her. Synn turned and nodded to the woman. "You're foolish if you think you'd last more than a few days in Northrend. You can barely defend yourself against two of our city guards."

Sylvanas looked up at the forsaken woman. "She fought the guard?"

"When the guards went to grab her, she hit one of them with a holy spell and knocked him unconscious. The other got her before she could cast anymore." said the woman, almost sounding amused.

"So, you've studied holy magic in Silvermoon." said the queen. Synnaria nodded.

"I was supposed to be a paladin, but I left before I finished..." said the girl.

"Then you'd die going to Northrend." said the queen as she stood straight once more. "I'm not going to send you to your death, so my advice to you is to go back to Silvermoon until you are able to go without our help." said the forsaken leader as she turned her back to the girl. "Take her out of here and send her on a bat back to Silvermoon."

Synn panicked at the thought of going back. Immediately she pulled away when the undead grabbed her should. "Please! I can't pay you, but...I can give you this!" said the girl as she reached into her shirt. Sylvanas turned just as the necklace dangled out of her clothing, her eyes widening as she saw it.

"Stop." said the queen and Corvelia immediately backed away. Sylvanas walked towards the girl, her scarlet eyes never leaving the necklace. Reaching down, she examined it thoroughly, Synnaria unable to move out of fright. "Corvelia, leave us." said the Dark Lady. Without question, the woman bowed and left the room. The Banshee Queen stood once more and walked over to a chair, sitting down in it, then looking at the girl. "You're going to sit right here, and tell me everything you know about that necklace." said the woman.

OoOoO

Back in Silvermoon, Liadrin was frantically dashing down the street. Her agitation showed plainly on her face to all she passed as she sprinted. When she turned the corner, she immediately ran into someone in her haste. Stumbling backwards, she fell to the ground.

Immediately, she was pulled back to her feet by the helping hand of the man she had run into. Looking up, she saw a face that gave her relief. "Eli'danis!" she said excitedly.

"Liadrin, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously as he eyed her. Her armor was sloppily strapped on, her hair was unkempt, and her entire demeanor shouted that she was in a hurry. "Aren't you supposed to be meeting with Lord Lorthemar today?" he asked.

"Please, I...I need you to do me a favor!" she said with panic in her voice.

Grabbing her by the shoulders, he spoke to her softly. "Liadrin, please, calm down." he said. She looked at him and nodded. Taking a deep breath, he released her and smiked. "Now, what is it you wish for me to do?" he asked.

"You...You and I both know that I cannot order you out on personal endeavors..." she said looking at the ground.

"I asked what it is you want me to do." he said, the same shining smile on his face.

She looked up at him and smiled back. "Thank you." she said. "I receieved a message from Lord Lorthemar today that Synnaria snuck out last night and used the Orb of Translocation." she said, panic creeping up in her voice again.

Eli'danis' smile immediately vanished. "She left?" he asked startled. Liadrin nodded. "Where is she headed?" he asked.

"She was talking to me yesterday about Dias." she said.

"Dias? The one from Light's Hope?" he asked curiously. "What about him?"

"She had a dream that he was captured, and being tortured. She asked me to check on him, but I told her it was just a dream..."

"So she left to go to him..." said the Blood Knight, finishing the womans sentence. "Don't worry. I'll get her back." he said, turning to head to the spire. He stopped as soon as he felt her arms wrap around him.

"Th-Thank you..." she said, sniffling slightly.

OoOoO

When he finally awoke, Dias felt as if his head were cracked in half. He noticed, however, that his head was the least of his problems. He couldn't feel anything under his feet, as if he were floating in the air. But looking up gave him the answer to his question. Through his blurred vision, he saw that his wrists were bound together withe chains, making his escape nearly impossible, especially with the wooziness after effects of getting bludgeon in the skull.

"I see you've finally awoken." said a cold voice behind him. Try as he might, the paladin couldn't turn to see his captor. "You've made things very difficult for me here in the fjord you know. I was close to driving the forsaken from these lands, but along comes a paladin in his shiny armor and all the sudden, the bitch queens men finally figure out how to swing a sword." said the voice as it grew closer. The man walked around the hanging high elf until finally he stood in front of him.

Dias' glowing blue eyes scanned every inch of the man. He was definitely an elf of some sort. But the glowing white of his eyes spoke of a soulless being, enhanced by the Lich King. His long dark hair flowed into a faceguard that covered his mouth, as well as the entire back of his head. Once his analysis was finished, the paladin just chuckled.

"You find my misery amusing?" asked the man in a hollowed voice.

"Well, if you're angry that means that I'm doing my job." he said, unable to hide the amusement from his voice. Though he couldn't see the mans mouth, Dias was able to detect a faint smile come from the man.

"Indeed. Now, it's time for me to do my job." said the man as he turned around and walked away from the paladin, standing in front of a fiery hearth. Walking forward and standing in front of him now was a vrykul, one of viscious appearance with scars splitting his face in multiple places. "What did the Kirin Tor want with you?" he asked.

Dias looked at him oddly, then his smirk vanished. Now that he had his senses again, he recalled Lhalia getting taken as well. "I don't know what they want with me." he said, watching as the man reached down into a box next to the hearth and picked something up. With the glow from the fiery furnace shining off its surface, he could easily see that it was his armor.

"That's a shame." he said as he tossed the metal breastplate into the fire. The surface began to morph almost as soon as it entered the flames. "I guess we'll just have to interrogate the gnome then." said the man with a wicked smile as he grabbed another piece of the paladins armor.

Immediately Dias jerked his body, trying to get free of the chains. But he soon went rigid, feeling as if hot irons were pressed to his back. When he could see straight, he looked down and the barbarian was now holding a nine tailed whip. "You...answer." said the savage in a vicious tone. He grabbed Dias by the throat and headbutted him, sending his head lolling back. "Now!" shouted the barbarian.

However, the giant didn't expect the paladins head to come crashing back, straight into his nose. The bone shattered immediately and the giant recoiled, holding the tender spot on his face and yelling in pain. The paladin glared through his blue eyes directly at the robed man. The undead elf stared back at him, a slight smirk on his face. "Adorable." he said as Dias' armor melted in the hearth behind him.

"When I get free from these chains, I'll kill you with my bare hands." said the paladin in a deadly tone.

"If you ever get free." said the man as he walked past the silver haired high elf. "In the meantime, enjoy yourself. You're going to be here for a very long time." Dias cringed again as he felt the whip lash his back once more, this time tenfold more vicious.

OoOoO

Aedammair paced in the vrykul built house that they stood in. She was staring at Anslem darkly, who simply sat in a chair, reading from a letter sent to them by the Dark Queen. When he finished, he sighed and laid the paper on the table.

"She said that reinforcements will arrive in five days." he said.

Immediately the death knight stopped and stared at him stupidly. "Did you just say five days?" she asked, getting a nod from the Executor. She growled loudly and slammed her fists onto the table. "He may not have five days!" she shouted.

"I know!" said the forsaken defensively as he stood his ground. "What do you expect me to do!? Write a letter back telling her that a death knight orders her to send them faster?" he asked.

She snorted and crossed her arms. "We might have already taken Utgarde if she would stop slacking on her soldiers!" said the woman venomously.

"The Dark Lady is not to blame for this. We were unprepared for the dragons, it's our fault for not expecting them." he said looking out the door into the dreary rainy day.

Aedammair looked at the undead man oddly. "How so?" she asked.

"A few weeks after we arrived here, we sent scounts around the fjord to get a lay of the land. It's how we have most of the maps of this place." he said waving at the maps sprawled across the wooden table. "We found an area north of where the Alliance's Westguard Keep is now, that was scorched to cinders. Upon further examination, we found that it was a small forested area that used to house dragons. There were bones of them everywhere, so we just thought that the vrykul had exterminated them." he said.

The death knight sighed to herself as she added up the rest. "So they killed the adults and took the eggs, enslaving the dragonlings as mounts." she said more to herself. "So, we have ballista to shoot them out of the air, but how else do we fight them?" she asked.

"We don't have a lot of experience with air combat. Most of that comes from Orgrimmar's Skyguard and their wind riders. For actual combat with them, we'll have to send a conscript to Thrall..." he said.

"We don't have time for that...we have to think of something." she said wracking her brain.

"Don't be gettin' ya loincloth twisted." said a voice from the doorway. Turning to the open portal, she saw the troll woman who had guided them to Northrend. "Ya got a visita' at da gates."

"We don't really have time for visitors Angel, we have to..." said the death knight, but she was cut off.

"Sumtin' tellin' me ya be wantin' to take dis one mon." said the troll woman before walking away.

Aedammair looked away from the doorway to the High Executor. He merely shrugged, and they both left the building, headed for the entrance to the town. When they arrived, they were both surprised to see an army of Alliance soldiers at the gates of the city. At the had was a white bearded dwarf, riding a charger bearing the blue and gold of the Alliance.

Aedammair walked foward as the dwarf rode towards her alone. Finally, he stopped next to her, looking down at her from atop his steed. "Ah'm lookin' fer yur paladin." he said to her.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Diasareth was captured by the vrykul almost a day ago." she said. He looked at her for a minute before nodding.

"Then who's the one in charge?" he asked.

"That'd be me for right now." she replied.

"A'right." he said as he dismounted his horse. "Then Ah guess we got a battle plan to be making. Can't be havin' him that brigg fer long." he said as he walked past her.

She at him oddly, then looked over his head at the soldiers behind him. A smile crossed her features as she saw the many guns and bows that the soldiers held, as well as the several mounted on gryphons. "Just in time..." she said, then turned towards the commander. "Let's get planning."


	15. The Dead Prince

OoO( 15 )OoO

Aedammair rubbed her forehead as she felt the effects of a migraine approaching. The dwarf captain had been here for over two hours, trying to make a plan with her, Vixxen, and Anslem in the room as well. However, as Alliance and Horde often do, few agreements were made.

"Ah'm tellin' ya, we go in from the north and strike at the rear o' the castle! It's the least defended position the bastards got!" said the dwarf as he placed a small trinket on the northern side of Utgarde on the map in front of him.

"We aren't here to attack the least guarded side!" shouted Vixxen, who's blood was flowing quickly at the thought of war. "We attack them head on, draw them out, and color the rivers with their blood!" she shouted as she pounded the table, knocking the trinket over.

The dwarf looked at her in shock. "Yur bloomin' crazy ya are." he said as he set the trinket upright.

"We can't attack from the north. The reason it's the least guarded position is because between the cliffs of the fjord and the island that the castle rests on is a village of ravenous Wolvar, who I would debate are more dangerous than the giants themselves." said Anslem solemnly.

"Then what do you expect we should do? Follow the insane she-beast into battle and get all of our men slaughtered?" asked the dwarf as he pointed to the orc.

Vixxen smirked at the comment and leaned her mohawked head onto her hand. "It would be a glorious death." she remarked, getting a sigh from the death knight.

"We want to attack from a position tha' affords us the least amount of death ta our side. And so far, a village full of furry badgers looks a hell of a lot safer than a front door guarded by dragons!" yelled the dwarf at the Executor.

Vixxen snorted and looked away from the dwarf sitting across from her. "My friend, you haven't seen what those wolvar can do to..." said the High Executor.

"Enough!" shouted the death knight. The entire room seemed to jump in surprise at the shout. Aedammair walked over to the table, grabbed it underneath the edge, and flipped the entire thing over. "We've been talking about this for hours now! We should have had a plan and formation together by now, but we just keep running in circles!" she said angrily. "You!" she pointed at Vixxen. "I'm not sacrificing men on either side of our army for the sake of sating your blood lust!" she said, then turned to the dwarf. "You! Do you have a plan for the wolvar? Because charging in with your men weapons high is pure suicide?" she said as she crossed her arms.

The dwarf began stroking his beard as he thought about it. "What do we know about them?" he asked.

"They normally keep to themselves. But when anyone steps onto their territory, they are as letal as a pack of wolves, and twice as cruel. They're like raging bulls when they get angry, so only a killing blow will stop one once it's gone off the deep end." said Anslem as he recalled the encounter a group of his scouts had with the beasts. "Oh...and they can bite through bone and remove skin with a single swipe of their claws."

"On second though, mebbe we should no' go from the north." said the dwarf as he scratched his head. But he went back to stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Eating habits?" he asked curiously.

"Aside from my troops? Mostly wildlife, the dear here and there or the shoveltusk that gets too close to their encampment." said the Executor.

The dwarf huffed heavily as his eyes rested on the death knight. Then a small smile creeped onto his face. "Ah think Ah may have an idea." Pointing at the death knight, he said, "You, come with me."

OoOoO

"So, your paladin found it on the steps of the spire where I fell." said the cold voice of Sylvanas as she listened to the girls tale. The blood elf nodded frantically as she looked from the pendant resting on the table back up to Sylvanas. "And you want to trade me this in exchange for passage to Northrend?"

"Please, this is my only option." said the young girl as she bowed her head. Sylvanas merely stared at the blond girl in front of her. She stayed silent for a long time, her hooded gaze staring at the young one as memories of her childhood flooded into her head. The young girl looked a lot like her when she was alive. Yet, she would not be responsible for the death of one so young.

The silence began to eat away at Synn, causing her to look up into the Dark Queens scarlet gaze. A slight smirk played on the edges of the womans mouth. "You love this paladin." she said coldly.

Synn recoiled immediately. "I...I..." she fumbled, then sat straight and looked down at the table, her face red with embarressment. "He saved my life from the Ghostlands! Why...why wouldn't I want to return the favor?" she asked defensively. Sylvanas laughed loudly, her hollow voice not sounding so cold anymore.

"Young one, I may be a husk of a woman now, but I was alive once. I know love when I see it." she said, causing Synn to look down at the table again. Her smile widened. "I see it now. I've almost forgotten what it looks like." said the woman as she stood and walked over to the girl. Reaching down, she lifted the girls chin and looked into her eyes. The young elf was almost on the verge of tears as she stared into the girls green luminescent gaze. Something deep inside her pulled at her at the sight of one so young suffering over something as trivial as love. She immediately let go and turned away from the girl. "If you are to go to Northrend, you will need to be properly trained in combat. No half measures." said the Queen as she walked towards the door.

The young elfs face immediately lit up as she stood. "You mean you'll take me to Northrend?" she asked hopefully.

"No." said the Dark Lady, getting a crestfallen look from the girl. "You will stay by my side when I go, and you will train with Corvelia in the shadow arts. You already have training in holy magic, so you shouldn't have much trouble learning the ways of the Forsaken." she said, turning back to the girl. "Once I see you are able to hold your own in battle, then you are free to go where you please." said the woman.

Synns smile faded slightly. "But..." she said.

"You won't have to worry about your paladin. We will be going to the fjord within the week, so you will see him soon." she said as she walked over to the door. Opening it, she looked at Corvelia, who stood outside the chamber. "You heard everything?" asked the Banshee Queen.

The Forsaken woman nodded. "I will make preparations immediately." she said, reaching out to the girl. "Come with me young one." Synn looked at the woman curiously. She had obviously been gorgeous in life, and she hadn't been gone long enough for decomposition to have set in before she was raised again. Reaching up, she grabbed the womans reaching hand. Not surprisingly, her grip was ice cold. "We will make you into a fine priestess." said the woman, an almost living smile covering her features.

OoOoO

Lhalia, unlike Dias, was chained to the floor rather than hanging from the ceiling. She sat cross-legged on the stone floor, her hair flowing freely now. The shocking blue strands were now matted with sweat and grime as she stared at the floor of her cell, a hearth roaring not far from her.

Outside the cell stood two figures. One of them was an undead elf, the other a tall necromancer with a large stave in his hand. "Are you telling me that a gnome is standing up to the greatest punishment you can conjure?" asked the elf.

The necromancer smirked. "You wound me." he said as he looked into the bars of the cell at the young mage. "If I wanted, she would have been tortured to death long ago. However we want her alive."

"I'm well aware." said the elf sarcastically. "If we can't figure out why she was sent for the paladin, we'll have more trouble to deal with than just a stubborn gnome." he said turning away from the door. "Do whatever you can to get it out of her." he said, then looked back at the human. "Do not fail." he said, then walked away.

The tall wizard stroked his beard absent-mindedly as he looked at the gnome through the bars. "Amazing that one so young can take so much..." he said, then opened the door and entered the cell once more.

When he did, the barely clothed gnome looked up and smiled at him. "So, have you had enough? Or are you going to tell me what I want to know?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

The old man smiled. "Quite." he said as he walked over to the hearth. Grabbing the rod sticking out of the fire, he held it up to his gaze, its glowing tip sweltering with heat from the fire.

"Why do you want to know about the Kirin Tor?" asked the mage curiously as she saw him eyeing the torture device.

He turned to her, an amused smile on his face. "You are a curious one. Even in the face of sheer agony, you continue to resist." he said as he walked over to her with the hot poker. "And do not think me a fool mage. I'm well aware your abilities allow you to transmit information instantly." he said, causing the young girl to sigh heavily.

"So you won't tell me?" she asked.

"Of course not." he smirked. "But you will tell me why you were sent after a single paladin. The Kirin Tor doesn't mettle in the affairs of others, yet they sent a mage to seek him out and bring him to them. Why?" he said waving the sweltering metal in front of her.

She looked up at him with a frown. "Well, I guess if you won't tell me, then I have no reason to be here anymore." she said with a sigh. She turned to the chains on her wrist and rolled her tongue once, then spit on the cuff. As soon as the projectile hit the metal shackle, it blasted the trap open, freeing her wrist.

By the time the necromancer realized what was happening, the gnome had already freed herself entirely. He moved to the side and put himself between her and the door. "How is it you can conjure magic without your weapon?" he asked surprised.

She smirked as she rubbed her wrists to get the circulation flowing again. "Now why would I tell you something like that?" she asked snarkily before putting her fingers to her head and concentrating. Immediately, the wizards eyes widened. Racing forward he reached out to grab her, but didn't make it before her entire form blinked out of existence.

Looking around to see if she was still around, he swore when she was nowhere to be found. "No! No no no!" he shouted and ran out of the room, not noticing the small wand dance out of his sleeve. After he had left, Lhalia smiled, her cloak fading. She leaned back against the wall, sliding down it softly as the weight of everything that had happened over the last few days pressed down on her. She cringed slightly at the burns on her skin.

She put on a tough face against the likes of the Scourge, but she felt the pain begin to seep into her system now. However, she blocked it out and stood firm. "I have to get him free." she said as she snuck quietly out of the room.

OoOoO

Dias' back was now covered in bloody lashes as the giant continued to strike him on an hourly basis. He felt his mind calling out to the darkness as his pain riddled body cried for the release of death. But he refused to give in. While his hands were tied, he could still heal himself a small amount over time. But with the attacks now on such a frequent schedule, his healing meant little.

His head sagged against his chest as the savage vrykul decided to take a break from the lashing. Despite his exhaustion, he noticed through half closed eyes that he still wore the necklace that had been given to him by Fiona. The small shield dangled from his neck as if it were standing defiant along with him. He smirked in amusement at the thought and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, I've failed..." he said.

Suddenly, both of them were alerted by a loud blast from outside the door. Dias looked at the vrykul as he watched the door. The surprise on the giants face told him that this was something unexpected. Perhaps he could use it to his advantage. But his eyes widened when the door blasted open and he saw a small figure standing in the door, wielding only a wand and wearing only shredded clothing. The vrykul looked at the gnome in shock, giving her more than enough time to put the last of her energy into the next spell.

The blast fired from the tip of the wooden tool and exploded on the ceiling of the room, shattering the chains that held the paladin aloft. The high elf fell a few feet and landed hard on the ground, nearly knocking the breath from his lungs.

The stunned vrykul finally went into action, dropping the whip and pulling a dagger off his belt that he usually saved for extracting information. He dashed toward the gnome as she fell to the ground. Immediately, Dias rolled to his feet, then somersaulted forward and grabbed the handle of the nine-tailed weapon. Swinging it quickly, the tails whirled shortly before wrapping around the giants leg. The savage roared loudly in pain, then felt as the paladin jerked on the handle, ripping his legs out from under him.

He smashed into the ground hard and shook his head. But soon, he was fighting for his life as he felt the bone laced cord wrap around his neck. Dias stood over the giant, his hands grasping the sharp ropes tightly as he pulled with all his remaining strength. The sharp protrusions in the cord cut deeply into his hands as the giant struggled to grab the weapon. Finally, Dias let go of one side and jerked on the other.

The sharp rope slide across the vrykuls large neck, slicing and tearing at the flesh until there was nothing but a gaping bloody hole for him to breath out of. The paladin dropped the whip and slowly made his way over to the young mage who had fallen against the wall out of exhaustion. Kneeling down, he grabbed her small frame and pulled her close to him. A shining light covered them both, but the power was extremely weak, granting them both only a small reprieve from the ordeal they had gone through.

The gnome snuggled closer to him as she felt the light relieve her wounds slightly, her heavy eyelids now getting the better of her. He cradeled her close to him gently. "Cummon, we have to get out of here..." he said weakly. Suddenly, his ears perked as he heard the sound of footsteps pounding against stone, heading directly towards them.

Dias set the gnome against the wall gently, and stood, flexing his numbed hands as he heard the pounding round the corner. As soon as he saw the undead elf enter the room, he lashed out and slammed the Scourgemancer by his throat. The rage building inside him made the Light glow from his form brighter than it had before.

Keleseth looked at the high elf as he was held by his throat against the wall. His eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen, then began to struggle for his unlife. But he soon began to feel the burning of the Light against his skin. Suddenly, the words spoken by the paladin chilled him to the core.

"May the Light purify you of all your evils..." said the high elf. Keleseth instantly began screaming in agony as the Light shown brightly from the paladins hands. He felt the holy power course through his body, burning him alive from the inside out. He tried to conjure something to help him, but it was hopeless. He could barely concentrate on his own thoughts, let alone a spell.

The paladin watched darkly as the screaming stopped, and light shone through the dark necromancers eyes and mouth, a look of horror and agony etched into his face. The light finally faded from his form, leaving behind an empty, soulless husk that was once Prince Keleseth. Dias turned away from the empty corspe and turned to the gnome.

"We're leaving..." he said, getting a tired nod from the mage.


	16. A Break in Winterhoof

OoO( 16 )OoO

The snow coming off the mountains of the northern fjord was furious. It blew across the landscape violently as two tauren trekked the white terrain. They both powered through the blinding sheet of ice as they made their way towards their camp again. One turned to the other as the wind blew wildly, shouting to be heard over the din of the weather.

"Why did we come out here again?" shouted one tauren in a bellowing voice, irritated at her friends persistence in wanting to come out during these conditions.

"Something is going to happen soon. I can feel it..." said the large male tauren that walked next to her.

"So why did you bring us out here?" she asked huffily as she crossed her fur covered arms.

The male stopped and sniffed the air briefly, then continued walking. "The fjord has been at war since the arrival of both the Alliance and the Horde. Not only have they been warring against the vrykul, but against each other as well." he said as he stopped to take in another large breath of air. "But now, the land is quiet. I'm interested to see what has happened to calm them." he said in his gruff voice.

The female quietly shook the snow off that had piled onto her large frame, then snorted. "Fine, but did you have to bring me?" she asked, half joking. But she silenced herself when she saw the look on his face.

"Someone is nearby..." he said. Inhaling deeply, he turned to the south. "No...two of them." he said before pausing. "Quickly...follow me!" he said as he shape shifted. His tall structure morphed into that of a small muscular cat. Mimicing his act, they ran together until they came upon a dark shape in the snow. It looked like a large mound of fur from a distance, but as they got closer, it was revealed to be two forms beneath a fur cloak.

The male transformed back to his tall tauren self again and slowly pulled the cover off the two. The female looked at the two nervously, noticing that one was considerable smaller than the other. "Are...are they dead?" she asked.

OoOoO

His body was heavy and sore as he lie on what felt like a fur rug. He couldn't hear anything around him, and could barely see as his eyes opened briefly. However, there was something he heard clearly, something that he knew wasn't coming from the world around him. _"Wake up paladin..." _said a feminine voice as he struggled to open his eyes again. When he managed to keep them open, his senses slowly started to return.

"He's waking up!" said a voice. Anything he heard sounded as if it were at a distance. But they drew closer as he felt his eyes begin to open. At first, as he sat up, his vision was blurred and he couldn't hear very well. But as he began to move around more, his senses came back to him. He looked up and saw a female tauren sitting over him, a large smile on her face.

He examined her quickly to make sure he wasn't in any kind of danger. She had soft, caring, brown eyes. She was tall, even taller than him, with mail armor clinking around her form. Her fur was a dark brown color, as if she were made from the earth itself. She had a mace at her side, but given her posture and genuine caring smile, he doubted she was about to reach for it. Finally sitting up straight, he held his head as it throbbed.

"Where am I?" he asked her as he rubbed his forehead.

"Camp Winterhoof." she said simply as she leaned back, giving him room to maneuver.

He looked at her oddly. "In the north? How did I get here?" he asked as he accepted a bowl filled with liquid from her. He began devouring the life-giving liquid rapidly, causing him to choke and sputter. The tauren chuckled and took the bowl from him, then held it up to his lips.

"Drink slowly." she said as she tilted it, allowing him to drink smoothly. "We found you and the little one south of here. You had collapsed in the snow from exhaustion. Me and a friend brought you here and nurtured you back to health." she said softly.

His head immediately snapped to her. "And Lhalia? Is she okay?" he asked as he looked around the tent for the gnome. "Where is she?" he asked frantically.

The tauren placed her large hands on his shoulders to keep him from rising. "She's fine. She has recovered and is walking about the camp." When he calmed down, she smiled again and leaned back. "If you like, I can go get her." she said.

"Please do." he said. She rose and left the tent. Minutes later, the small form of a gnome entered with a bright smile.

"Dias!" she shouted and ran over to him. "I knew you were too stubborn to give in." she said brightly.

He looked at her oddly. She was wearing fur clothing now, belted down over her form to make it fit better considering its size. Over her shocking blue hair, she wore a hood that nearly swallowed her whole head. He chuckled lightly at his companions comical appearance. "It's good to see you are alright as well." he said as he finally sat up straight.

She nodded. "Fortunately for me, I was able to withstand most of the torture using my arcane prowess. I weakened the intensity of the flames with a bit of frost. But you..." she said as she ran her hands gently over the large fresh scars on his back. "Not only did you take the full velocity of the attack, but you had to carry me with you when we left." she said looking at the ground, almost as if she had caused his injuries herself. "You had a really bad fever when they brought you here."

He smiled at her and ruffled her hair under the hood. "Don't worry, I should be good with some food and a warm fire." he said as he flexed his body. "I don't feel any pain anymore for some reason..." he said curiously.

"The people of the village are druids. They are professionals in healing magic...something I regret not paying more attention to now." she said scratching her head.

"What about the others?" he asked as he stood again and tested the rest of his body.

Lhalia pulled the hood down over her eyes, unused to seeing men wearing such little clothing. "I had a message sent to them while you slept. They should be here any minute." she said as Dias finally sat back down and pulled the fur covering over himself again to shake off the cold. "I'll have some clothing sent in for you." she said as she trundled out of the tent with the hood still over her eyes, leaving Dias chuckling at her antics.

"I had shorts on..." he said amused as he looked down into the fire in the middle of the tent that he was staying in. After a bit, the female tauren had brought him a set of fur-bound leather clothing, as well as a heavy cloak to cover himself with. He donned the winter clothes and stepped out of the tent, looking through the heavy snow at the gate of the camp just in time to see the black armor of the death knight riding through it on her charger.

Aedammair was looking rapidly back and forth as people stepped out of the tents. Finally her eyes locked on to the high elf further up on the hill. She stopped the charger and looked down at him with a smirk, mirroring his own.

"You need help dismounting?" he asked sarcastically.

She glared at him and jumped quickly from the saddle onto the ground. Turning to him, she held out her hand with a smile. Dias took her hand out of reflex, but regretted it soon after when she sent a sense shattering headbutt straight into his forehead, sending him stumbling back into the tent. "Where the hell have you been for the last few days!?" she shouted.

Immediately, the gnome put herself between the two. Aedammair stepped forward, but decided to stay where was after she saw the gnome mages over protective look. "Do it again and they won't find enough pieces of you to put together a second time." she said threateningly.

The comment struck deep, causing Aedammair to go for her axes, growling at the gnomes sharp tongue. "ENOUGH!" shouted the paladin as he stood between them again. Turning to the gnome, he placed a hand on her head. "It's alright." he said. She looked up at him shocked, then turned to look at Aedammair again. Waving her hand, three clones of her that were invisible to the eye uncloaked themselves, then vanished. The death knight gasped as she saw the three hidden attackers disappear into nothingness. Dias then turned to her. "Lhalia and I were in Utgarde for three days straight, getting tortured by one of the giants and a sorcerer."

The death knight immediately covered her mouth in regret. Looking at the ground, she bowed her head. "I'm sorry...I thought..."

"You thought that I had been staying here. But in fact I just woke up." he said.

"What happened?" she asked curiously.

Immediately, Dias' head turned from her to the grey whiskered one who rode up after her. "There's the wee paladin!" said the dwarf as he dismounted his steed and walked over to them as well. Turning to Aedammair he glared at her. "Ye got a fine mare girly. Ootrunnin mah warhorse is no simple task."

She chuckeled as the dwarf sat next to the fire with Dias. Sitting down next to the dwarf, they both listened as the paladin related his story.

"So, you killed the prince did ya?" asked Captain Adams, getting a nod. "And the giant, Skarvald. So tha' only leaves a few pieces on o'ur board." he finished. "The King, Ymiron, if he's even there. Skadi the dragon master, Dalronn the sorcerer..."

"I'll handle that one." said Lhalia darkly.

They all looked at her curiously, but didn't dare question her. "And let's not forget Ingvar, the kings monkey and head of the dragon riders." said Aedammair. "That makes four total targets. Let's hope they've all gathered in a room and lay their weapons at our feet when we enter." she said, getting a chuckle from the others.

"Regardless, we have a plan noo, and tomorrow, we strike at the heart of tha' damned tower and bring doon the giants fer gud." said the dwarf with a feral smile.

"For good." said the paladin as he sat back with a smile. "So, who wants to tell me the plan?" he asked curiously, getting shocked looks from both the dwarf and the elf female.


	17. The War of the Fjord

OoO( 17 )OoO

The fjords wind blew wildly, carrying snow across the landscape and turning the land around the castle into a white sheet. The wolvar were all holed up in the small huts they had made on the island, as well as the castles sentinels, finding it useless to try and scout out intruders in a snowstorm.

The army stood at the bank of the river surrounding the large keep. The death knight was at the front of the formation with the two paladins behind her. Next was the orc warrior, and behind her was the entire Horde and Alliance fighting force. The mage sat on the back of a gryphon mount, loaned to her by one of the Alliance gunners. Her hood now hanging behind her, allowing her electric blue hair to stand out against the white storm.

Aedammair turned and nodded to Captain Adams. The dwarf turned with a smile and raised his torch in the air. Immediately, the second party flew into the air and flew directly for the castle. Vixxen rode at the head of the group, her face wearing a smile of pleasure as the battle approached. Those riding behind her knew well to keep clear of her once the fighting started.

Aedammair watched as they flew, then raised her hands in the air. Throwing them forward, the water in front of her snap froze as she chilled the air with one of her signiature moves. Lhalia stepped forward with her new staff weapon and helped her by spraying the water with frost magic. Soon, the river was a clean sheet of ice.

Pulling her axes off, she turned to the others with a smile. "It's time to take the fjord from the giants." she said. The others drew their weapons as she turned back to the keep and walked forward across the path of frost. The war had begun.

OoOoO

The vrykul inside the keep were lethargic on days such as this. Aside from those working in the forges, most of the giants either sat in the large mess hall making a mess of the food and each other, or roamed lazily about the keep. A pair of them now strode across the walkway leading to the kings pinnacle. They held their arms up to shield them from the blinding storm as they trekked across the ramparted bridge.

So loud and blinding was the storm that they didn't even notice the figure flying at them like a shot fired from a cannon. An orc in red armor smashed into the walkway with such force that the two vrykul went tumbling off the edges and into a white abyss. The orcess smiled wickedly as she turned to the door that the pair had been walking to. Behind her, the soldiers all landed and dismounted, allowing their mounts to fly far enough away so as not to be targeted by any lurking harpooners.

Walking forward, the warrior kicked the door, shattering the wooden structure and blasting it open. Walking inside, she saw the throne at the far end of the room with one of the giants sitting in it. On either side of the room, there were two statues of different vrykul heroes. She walked towards the throne with her throng of Alliance guardians behind her, all of their firearms ready and loaded.

The king immediately stood to his feet as she approached. He stood taller than the others by at least a few feet. His fiery beard spilled beneath an iron helm that had two gruesome looking horns flowing out of the top, as if he were wearing a giant ram skull for a helm. He growled as the orcess stopped in front of him.

"What worm dares crawl in here!?" shouted the giant.

Vixxen smirked at the savage as the Alliance soldiers behind her raised their weapons and aimed at the king of the giants. She held an arm up, signaling them to drop their aim. "I will take this one alone." she said, her smile growing as she stared down the vrykul.

"But...we were ordered to..." said the group leader.

"If I fail, then feel free to fill him full of your bullets. But until that time, anyone who takes a shot at him before I am through is considered my enemy." she said as she look back at them with a glare. The men all took a step back as they saw an almost red glow in her eyes. "Do I make myself clear?" she asked.

"Y-Yes Lady Vixxen." said the leader. They all took a few steps back to make room for her.

The king looked at her and laughed, his loud voice echoing off the walls of his large chamber. "You wish to fight me alone?" he asked as he drew an overlarge axe from his back. "To challenge King Ymiron is to forfeit ones life."

"Close your mouth before I make it bigger." said Vixxen, her eyes now clearly showing her battle lust.

The king, taken aback at her sharp tongue, growled loudly. "You dare order me you impudent worm!" he shouted, then held up his axe. Four beams from the statues around the room shot forward, hitting the weapon and making it glow brightly. "You have sealed your fate Horde filth!" he shouted as he charged forward, his axe high. Vixxen roared loudly as well, her sword and shield in each hand as her wicked battle-hungry smile widened.

OoOoO

The lower levels of Utgarde were filled with the heat and sounds of the forge. The fires in the smith burned without stop, filling the entire lower floors with dancing orange light. The army entered the large circular room and immediately a war started between the giants and the united troops of the Alliance and Horde.

Dias, once again armed with his sword, charged forward and cut through a giant who was reaching for a weapon from one of the many racks around the room. Aedammair used her death grip to grab one of the racks and hurled it, weapons and all into the small crowd of startled giants, impaling two and injuring a few more.

Captain Adams, now filled with the energy of youth again barrelled forward and used his hammer to send one of the savages stumbling back onto the dragon shaped anvil. Leaping up onto the anvil, he brought the hammer down quickly, and with a sickening thud, caved in the creatures skull.

Lhalia didn't do much during the fight. She simply looked around the room, keeping her eyes open and constantly shifting. Taking a page from Dias' book, she blocked out the sounds of battle and focused on the corridor leading upwards to the rest of the keep. A small smiled curved her lips when she heard the loud footsteps of someone running towards them. Holding her staff at her side, she prepared.

It wasn't long before the vrykul in the forge had all been slain. Dias threw his broadsword over his shoulder, letting it rest on his back, but not taking his hand off the handle. Aedammair, who hadn't even removed her weapons for the fight, walked up to him and smiled lightly.

"Well, that was a good start. What should we do with the weapons?" she asked.

"Throw them into the fire." said the paladin.

The dwarf looked at him curiously. "Whyzzat?" he asked.

"These weapons are far too large for most of our army to wield. And if we leave them here, they could be used against us." he said. The men all started to pick the weapons up and hurl them into the flaming hearth.

The paladin began to look around as he noticed someone missing. "Anyone seen Lhalia?" he asked curiously as he looked at the others.

OoOoO

Dalronn hid behind one of the large pillars in the tunnel to escape being seen. He witnessed the carnage of the giants and gritted his teeth as he watched them hurl the giants weapons into the forge. Feeling he should report the attack to his superiors, he turned to leave further up the tower, but immediately froze as he saw a short figure in front of him. Her blue hair was the most noticeable thing, but her staff pointing directly at him was what his eyes were focused on.

With a mischievous grin, she simply said, "Hi. Miss me?"

He reached for his own weapon. However, the gnome unleashed a blue arcane bolt from her staff that hit him hard enough to send him flying completely through the pillar he had hidden himself behind, shattering it and causing him to land harshly in the room with the rest of the army.

Immediately, they all drew their weapons again, but were stopped by the mage. "I'll handle this one. All of you go ahead." she said, her eyes never leaving her target.

"Are you sure?" asked Dias as his hand gripped the handle of his sword tightly.

She nodded. "I have a little score to settle with him. I'll catch up again once I've paid him back in full." she said.

"You heard her, move up the tower." said the paladin to the others. They all followed his instructions and left the floor, heading up the stairs. Dias placed his hand on her head as he passed her. "Be careful. He's a necromancer, who knows what tricks he has up his sleeve?" he said, then left her to settle her score.

"You are foolish to take me alone little one." said the old man as he stood and flexed his injured back.

She merely smirked at him. "Says the coward hiding from the fight." she said as she kept her staff trained on him.

He growled, then laughed loudly at her. "Quite a mouth on you. I'll enjoy closing it for good."

OoOoO

Every room they had come across had giants in it, completely unaware of what happened below. They continued catching them off guard, quickly disposing of them shortly after. The only trouble they had with the unaware giants was when they had run into the dragon stables. The protobeasts didn't go down easily, but they were eventually terminated.

The group had reached a large open-aired walkway on the outside edge of the castle. They had finally started running into undead, confirming that the giants were indead working with the Lich King. This only strengthened the resolve of the troops as they continued to sweep through the tower like a wave of death.

However, as they marched across the walkway, they were immediately attacked. A giant riding a large blue protodrake swooped down on them from the sky, sending a wave of ice through their ranks. A few of the soldiers were frozen solid by the attack, and ended up breaking apart if anyone touched them.

Immediately, Aedammair began to shout. "Get off the walkway!" she bellowed as she led them across the exposed landing. The men all ran for their lives, knowing that it was too late for those who had gotten hit already. Another wave swept across the path as the dragon rider swooped by again, only managing to catch one of the Horde soldiers in its icy grip. The orc froze solid as the rest of them continued along the path.

Finally, they had reached a doorway. All the men ducked inside, as well as Dias and the dwarf captain. But Aedammair stayed outside.

"Aedammair, what are you doing?" he asked questioningly.

"If we don't kill him, we'll never make it to the top. The amount of open walkways and paths that lead to the top are too many to count. We'll all be frozen to death just trying to make it up there. So you guys continue, I'll take care of him." she said.

"I'm not leaving you..." said the paladin, but he wasn't able to finish.

"Yes you are! I can handle this one myself." she said as she glared at him.

He looked at her solemnly for a moment before saying, "Be careful." Turning, he ran with the others up the stairs to the rest of the tower.

OoOoO

The rest of the army had pressed on until they reached a tower. Upon opening the door, they saw a single vrykul standing out on the edge of a long platform in front of them. Dias and Adams stepped forward onto the platform and slowly approached the giant. The army followed after them, all of them focused on the vrykul with his back turned.

Soon, they discovered that the vrykul wasn't alone. He was talking to an angelic figure that was hovering just off the edge of the castle.

"Wha' in bloody hell is tha'?" asked Captain Adams as they continued their approach.

"I don't know...but I doubt it's going to help us." said Dias. Suddenly, they all stopped moving as the vrykul turned around with a huge grin on his face.

"Dragon riders! Get rid of them!" shouted the giant. In a matter of moments, the entire platform was surrounded by the mounted protodragons. Anslem looked at them worriedly, but kept his head.

Turning to the high elf and dwarf, raised his voice to be heard over the roaring. "Kill the giant, we'll hold them off!" he shouted, then raised the gun he was given and fired. The other soldiers did the same, dodging fire and snaps of the serpent creatures jaws before letting off volley after volley of gunfire on the flying creatures.

Dias and Adams turned back to the giant, then looked at each other. "Well..." said Dias with a smile. "You ready to finally bring this place to the ground?" he asked.

The silver bearded dwarf felt his body course with energy from the Light as he smirked at his junior. "As ready as Ah'll ever be." he said. "And if we don' make it oot of here, it's been a pleasure workin' with ya elf." he said.

Dias chuckled. "You too." he said, then turned to the giant, who now bore a giant axe in one hand, and a long heavy chain in the other. They both ran towards the giant, who had dashed for them as well.

"I'll paint my face with your blood!" shouted the giant with a maniacle grin on his bearded face.

Both the elf and the dwarf raised their weapons high and shouted, "For the Light!"


	18. Fall of the Giants

OoO( 18 )OoO

"I was curious about you when you left you know? I always wondered what became of the sharp tongued gnome who managed to withstand my fire." said the necromancer as he circled around her, still flexing his back.

"Who knows, maybe your fire would have worked if you weren't so weak." she said, a small smile curving the corner of her mouth as she saw the sorcerer growl. "Besides, regardless of what happened to me, you wouldn't have gotten anything out of me." she said confidently.

"Let's find out shall we?" he asked as he smiled widely. Lhalia gasped in shock as a pair of undead hands reached up out of the dirt floor and grabbed her, pulling her to the ground. Immediately, the sorcerer jumped forward to pounce and disarm her. However, she lashed out with a quick fireball the sent the older man soaring backwards and crashing against one of the anvils.

Reaching down, the gnome pried herself free from the undead grip, but was hit by a shadowbolt when she finally looked up. Her tiny frame rolled backwards on the stone for a few feet before stopping hard against one of the stone walls. The sorcerer, now holding his burned chest, stumbled towards her.

"I'll burn the flesh from your bones!" he shouted as he conjured his own weapon. Aiming the staff at her, it fired numerous shadowfire balls at her. She rolled quickly, feeling the magic explode and tear the stone from the ground where she had sat previously. Ducking behind one of the remaining wooden racks used for weapons, she charged the end of her staff with arcane energy. "Come out little one, or I'll burn you out!" shouted the sorcerer as he aimed a fireball at the wooden rack.

As he was about to fire, a small figure somersaulted out from behind it, somewhat surprising him. Standing up, the gnome had a smirk on her adorable features. "Alright." she said. Dalronn quickly aimed at her and launched the fireball, but she was too quick. She somersaulted under the attack and past the sorcerer. Furiously, he turned and aimed again at the short, smiling figure.

"Impudent worm!" he shouted as he charged another spell.

"You know, for someone as old and was as you, you would think that you'd learn to watch your back." she said, never dropping her smile. Dalronn looked back in panic just as an arcane missle struck his back. He flew forward only a few seconds before a fireball from the front smashed him backwards again, scorching his chest and making him drop his staff. He crawled painfully to his feet, his eyes darting back and forth between both of the mages on either side of him.

"Damn you mage." he said through gritted teeth as he slipped his hand up his sleeve. Pulling out the wand, he fired a shadowbolt at one of them. Not expecting the attack, the clone was hit and vanished in a shriek of pain. Dalronn rolled just in time to dodge a frozen projectile fired from the tiny mage, then fired back from the ground. The gnome ducked behind an anvil just before the blast hit, but the explosion was bigger than she anticipated, ripping one of her sleeves clean off.

She looked down at the cuts across her now exposed arm, caused by the stone fragments. "Damn..." she said as she placed her fingers on her forehead, her breathing growing heavy every second.

"Little gnome, where are you?" he asked sarcastically as he approached the anvil. "Gotcha!" he shouted as he aimed the staff he had retrieved from the ground, plus the wand behind the construct. Not wanting to give her a chance for any more tricks, he fired his shadow magic once more, obliterating the stone setting on the metal object.

But he was sure that she hadn't been there. "Where did she...?" he asked, then stopped in his tracks when her high pitched voice came from behind him.

"It's funny, we just had a conversation about watching your back. Then again, as stupid as you evil types tend to be, it doesn't surprise me that you didn't learn." she said giggling slightly.

He turned his head and looked at her with his eyes wide. "How...?" he asked.

"Mages of the Kirin Tor now have cloaking abilities, of course. I'd have thought you would have picked that up by now." she said with a confident smirk.

His stomach turned immediately. "W-Why did you tell me that?" he asked.

"Because, I know you'll never tell anyone else." she said as her staff started to glow with magic. "Now, it would be best for both of us if you were to just die." she said as she fired the bolt forward. The sorcerer tried to dive to the side, but the magic bolt was too fast. It caught him directly in the back, sending him spinning through the air.

When he stopped spinning, he shouted loudly in torturous pain. He had landed in the hearth of the forge, the red hot weapons thrown in there by the army now piercing his shoulder and thigh. The fire rose rapidly on his flowing robes, igniting the necromancer.

"Perhaps now you will suffer as those you've tortured have." she said as she watched the fire from the furnace swallow him like a ravenous creature. He screamed loudly, begging anyone for help. But nobody came as his life was burned from his body by the unquenchable fires of Utgarde.

OoOoO

The dragon swooped over again, firing wave after wave of ice breath at the nimble death knight. All she could do was dodge, unable to get any attacks close enough to the rider before he flew away again. Her steps slowed more and more as the dragon rider peppered the walkway with bone chilling ice breath.

She backed herself behind one of the pillars as he blasted at her again. Much to her frustration, vrykul that the army had missed began to flood from the doorway nearby. Immediately, she death gripped the first in line, swinging her double axes rapidly and severing the giant in two as he flew past her. The rest drew up on her as she spun her weapons dangerously. The first attacked her with its giant mace, missing horribly and smashing the pillar she stood next to to pieces. His head flew off quickly as the next raised its weapon, only to be frozen in place as she yelled loudly.

She slashed across his throat with her axe, then dove for new cover as the dragon flew by again. She barely made cover before the breath froze half the giants, as well as everything around her. She placed her back firmly against the wall as the remaining giants approached. Reaching forward, her death grip grabbed one of the few remaining living giants and jerked him across the walkway, causing him to shatter his frozen comrades with his body before flying off the edge of the building entirely, leaving only three of his fellow vrykul to fight off the vicious death knight. The last three were more hesitant to attack her, given the state of their allies. But they ran forward regardless, given that she was now breathing heavily. "Obliterate!" she yelled as she dove forward. In an instant, the giants stopped in their tracks.

Aedammair landed on the other side of them, her hands soaked with their blood. Soon, they all screamed in agony as the holes she had put in them erupted, sending their insides all over the catwalk.

She turned and watched as the dragon swooped down for another attack. Running towards the creature, she threw her arms forward, catching the rider off guard, and jerking him roughly to the ground with her death grip. The dragon flapped wildly at the loss of its rider, but made no move to help him. Aedammair smiled wickedly as she approached the large savage. "Not so tough now that you don't have your pet." she said as she approached with her axes.

The vrykul smirked and stood to his feet, drawing a large spear off his back. "Don't coun' on tha' missie. I'm not goin' down like a coward." he said as he aimed the weapon at her.

She crouched as he aimed at her. "Then come at me!" she shouted as she sprang forward. He thrust the spear forward in an attempt to stab her, but she knocked the weapon aside. The death knight underestimated the weight of the spear however, causing her to stumble as she knocked it aside. The vrykul spun quickly, swinging the massive weapon horizontally with the momentum of her block. The long wooden part of the weapon crashed into the high elfs stomach, sending the air from her lungs and throwing her backwards.

She rolled for several yards before coming to a stop, face down and gasping for air. She looked up as the smiling vrykul approached with the large spear over his shoulder. "Ya had a better chance of killin' me in the air lass. Now..." he said as he waved to his dragon. The frantic drake obeyed and swooped down towards the combatants. "you die like your comrades!" he said before laughing loudly. Aedammair crawled to her hands and knees to try and move, but her lungs had just started working again. The vrykul looked down at her, then jerked her head up by her chin to look at him. "But ya be a pretty one. So I won't break ya like the others. I'll keep ya as my own trophy." he said sadistically before stepping back.

The death knight had only enough time to look up before the jet of frozen air covered her in ice. When the dragon finished, she was frozen solid on her knees. The amused savage walked up to her with a satisfied sigh, kneeling down to look at his new prize.

"Foolish elf. Foolish, beautiful elf." he said as he reached foward to grab her. But the giants heart stopped as the woman jumped up, the ice around her shattering before she buried her fist in his stomach.

"Not as foolish as you think." she whispered as he doubled over. She wrapped her arms around him, bear hugging him brutally, then began to yell loudly, her voice conjuring frost around the giant. Soon, his body became rigid as his insides froze. He began to panic and call for his dragon again. But soon, his tongue froze as well, followed shortly by his entire head.

Using her reserve strength, she squeezed as hard as she could. The savages body shattered into pieces, the chunks scattering across the walkway. Aedammair smirked as she walked towards the edge. "I'm the Queen of Ice, fool." she said as she looked up at his dragon.

OoOoO

The combined might of Captain Adams and Dias were great, but not as great as they had anticipated. The vrykul before them was very skilled in combat with multiple enemies, leaving little room for them to attack. Adams' hammer glowed brightly as he swung at the savage, but the large and surprisingly nimble giant rolled out of the way, leaving the dwarf to bury his hammer in the stone.

Dias dashed foward to take a swing at the enemy, but was stopped cold when the chain wrapped around Ingvars arm swung and wrapped around him. Jerking the paladin forward, the vrykul sent a kick directly into Dias' stomach, sending him rolling as the chain unraveled from around him.

Adams, who was breathing heavily by now, gritted his teeth. "Bastard..." he said as he ran forward with his hammer again. The forces behind them that were fighting off the dragon riders wasn't fairing well. They knew that they had to end the battle soon or there would be none of them left. He dashed foward as the light filled his weapon and threw it with all his might.

The vrykul turned just in time to see the attack, managing to barely dodge as the flying bludgeon nearly took his head off. The hammer crashed into a tall pillar on the far side of the platform, shattering the base. The giant smirked as he turned toward the dwarf, wanting to gloat about the failed attack, but recoiled as he saw the dwarf diving towards him, his eyes filled with the power of the Light.

The short warrior latched onto the giant as he crashed into him. Raising his head, he sent an earth shattering headbutt into the enemies skull. The giant stumbled back as exploded in his vision. Adams locked the giants arms against his side with his own, keeping him from moving them. "Now!" shouted the dwarf.

OoOoO

The Executor aimed and fired his gun for what felt like the thousandth time. He had already lost one of his legs to the battle, and was now leaning against the wall to steady himself while he fought on. One of the Lieutenants in the group ran up to him and began shouting over the din of battle.

"We have to retreat! If we stay here any longer, they're going to wipe us out!" said the human.

"You're not going anywhere! We stay here, and we fight!" shouted the forsaken as he grabbed the lieutenant by the chest plate. "If we leave now, your captain and my paladin are as good as dead!" he shouted.

A dragon in the sky swooped down as the rider saw the two. The giant rider laughed maniacly as the dragons mouth opened to rain a jet of fire on the pair. Anslem and the lieutenant both looked up and saw the creature headed straight for them. The lieutenant grabbed the Executor and tossed him out of reach of the dragons attack, then turned back to the flying enemy and aimed down his sight. "You'll not have me today fiend!" shouted the human as he squeezed the trigger. The gun recoiled against his shoulder and the bullet flew.

Both the Executor and lieutenants eyes widened as the bullet hit the dragon, and the creature exploded into a massive fireball, taking out another nearby drake with it.

"So, what did I miss?" asked a high pitched, squeeky voice from the door of the keep. They both turned and saw the gnome with brilliant blue hair standing in the doorway with a smirk.

"You?" asked the Executor as he looked back at the black cloud in the sky where the dragon had once been. "You did that?" he asked.

She nodded. "It's not exactly the most humane way of fighting a war, but when your enemy are a bunch of undead giants, I don't think anyone will be complaining." she said as she turned and aimed her staff at the sky. The clouds around the keep began to spiral as the tip of the mages staff glowed brightly with magical energy. Both frost magic and fire magic spiralled up the weapon, meeting at the top, then shot forward as she aimed at one of the dragons. The jet of frostfire tore both creatures apart, sending their limbs in all directions.

Suddenly, they army was startled by someone yelling, "The blue drake is back!" Anslem turned and saw the blue proto drake fly from around the side of the keep. They all took aim at it, but dropped their sights when the drake shot its frozen breath, freezing two dragons in mid-air and causing them to soar towards the ground at high speeds. When the drake got close enough, Anslem started laughing loudly as he saw the rider.

She sat smiling on top of the blue drake, her black armor and white eyes causing the group on the ramparts to start cheering madly. "They've made it!" shouted the Lieutenant.

OoOoO

Ingvar gasped in horror as the elven paladin dashed towards him. The dwarf sent another headbutt directly into his skull as he tried to get free, dumbing him once more. Dias, with his sword alive with holy power, thrust the blade upwards and through the giants back and out his left shoulder, making him lose his grip on the axe. Yanking the sword out, his did the same on the opposite side, causing the giant to lose functionality of both of his arms.

Adams jumped down and held out his hand. His hammer flew from the pillar, directly into the palm of his outstretched hand, still glowing with power. "Prepare giant!" shouted the dwarf as the elf stood next to him. "Prepare yer wicked self fer the power of a divine storm!" he shouted as both of them began to glow with the holy energy.

The both dashed in opposite directions of each other, a streak of light trailing behind them. Dias dove in and slashed the giant with his holy power, then Adams did the same from the opposite side. The two circled around the giant like a cyclone of Light, continually attacking him from different angles. The vrykul cried in pain with every attack that struck him, the Light searing his skin like a hot iron. Soon, the attacks were too fast and blinding for him to even register.

Dias and Adams circled him like a pair of hawks, slashing and hammering at him until they were nothing but two blurs of light. Finally, they both struck at the same time, the elf planting his palm on the giants chest, and the dwarf with his palm on the savages back. "May the Light purify you of all your evils!" shouted both of the paladins.

The giant screamed in agony as he was lifted off the ground by the power of the Light and burned alive from the inside out. Soon, his body was nothing but ashes on the ground of the platform. The dragon riders had disbanded and fled the battle, knowing that they were overwhelmed by the combined might of both armies.

Aedammair landed and stroked the neck of the creature she had just rode into battle, then walked over to the pair of paladins who were now on their knees from the amount of energy they had expended. "So, did you kill him?" she asked sarcastically as the elf looked up at her. "I don't know if you put enough effort into that last attack." she said smiling.

Dias chuckled as he rose back to his feet. "A bit lacking was I?" he asked.

"A bit." she said as she looked down at the dwarf who was laying flat on his back and breathing heavily. "Need a bit of help there Captain?" she asked.

"No, Ah think Ah may have overdone it this time. Ah probably won't make it." said the dwarf as he continuously breath heavily.

Aedammairs expression changed to worried, but she smiled once more as the Lieutenant grabbed her shoulder lightly and explained with a chuckle. "Don't worry about him. He says that every time he's tired." said the human as he walked over to the dwarf and threw his arm over his own shoulder. "Cummon Cap'n, let's get you some rest and you'll be right as rain."

Captain Adams yowled as he was carried off by his amused soldiers. "To the afterlife wit me! Ah'm of no use ta anyone!" he shouted.

Dias laughed loudly at the dramatic dwarf as he was taken out of the keep. He looked at the blue drake who was now sitting contentedly on the edge of the ramparts. "Got yourself a new pet I see." he said.

The death knight smiled as she looked at the drake. "He's not so bad. He was abused by his rider mostly, and actually responded really well when I soothed him."

"You sure about that?" asked Lhalia as she eyed the drake suspiciously.

"You're just afraid because he could eat you in one bite." said the elf woman smirking. The gnome fumed at her, but the feud was stopped when Dias asked a question.

"Wait...has anyone seen Vixxen?" he asked as he looked around. "She should have been finished by now." They all shook their heads, making him turn towards the kings tower. "Oh no..." he said, then dashed for the door.

They all ran through and what they saw caught them off guard. Vixxen sat in the iron throne with one leg draped over one arm and her back to the other. She sat relaxed with the helmet of the former king of giants on her head, and all the men that came with her surrounding her. They all laughed and joked around until the other group ran into the room. Sitting up in the throne with a smile, they all stared at her stunned.

"What?" she asked curiously.


End file.
